shamash
Pronunciations
shamash | (shah-MAHSH) | listen |
Definitions
n. The caretaker of a synagogue.
n. Personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry.
n. Candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles.
Example Sentences
"The shamash is going to order new siddurim."
"For the first night, we will need one candle and a shamash."
Languages of Origin
- Textual Hebrew
- Yiddish
Etymology
Heb שמש shamásh, Yiddish שמשׂ shámes
- Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
- Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
- North America
- Great Britain
- South Africa
- Australia / New Zealand
- View More
- The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
- The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
- The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
- Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
- View More
Who Uses This
Regions
Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
shammos, schammos, shames
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