Hashanah

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Jewish festival marking the beginning of the new year, celebrated with religious rituals and traditions
2. A time for reflection and atonement in the Jewish faith, involving the sounding of the shofar
3. A significant occasion that emphasizes themes of renewal, introspection, and community gathering within Judaism

Etymology: Hashanah is the Hebrew word "shanah," meaning "year," with the definite article "ha-" attached, so "hashanah" means "the year." Its best-known use is in the phrase "Rosh Hashanah," literally "head of the year," the Jewish New Year, which falls in autumn on the first day of the month of Tishrei. The word appears in the Hebrew Bible in its basic sense of a span of time, and it has been used this way in Hebrew for well over two thousand years. Standing alone, "hashanah" is rarely used as a noun for an occasion. Its meaning as a festival comes from the longer phrase, and English speakers mostly encounter the word within that compound. The "head" in Rosh is the same Hebrew word for head or beginning, so the holiday's name points to a year starting afresh rather than to a single event.

Synonyms: Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, Jewish holiday