Hanukkah
UK /ˈhæ.nə.kə/ · US /ˈhɑː.nə.kə/ proper noun
Forms Hanukkahs
- proper noun (Judaism) An eight-day Jewish festival, starting on the 25th day of Kislev, which commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek Syrians.
Synonyms
Feast of Dedication Feast of Lights Festival of Lights Hanukah Hannukah Chanukah Chanukkah Channukah Channukkah Feast of the Dedication
Etymology
Originated 1890–95. From Hebrew חנוכה / חֲנֻכָּה (khanuká, “dedication, consecration”) from חָנַךְ (khanákh, “to dedicate, to consecrate”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The Jewish Feast of the Dedication, instituted by Judas Maccabæus, his brothers, and the whole congregation of Israel, in 165 b. c., to commemorate the dedication of the new altar set up at the purification of the temple of Jerusalem to replace the altar which had been polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Maccabees i. 58, iv. 59).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Hanukkah”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details