Megillahs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to scrolls or books, especially those that are significant in Jewish tradition and ceremonies
2. Describing multiple written works, typically on parchment, that convey religious tales and historical accounts
3. Indicating several sacred texts, especially narrative scrolls used during certain Jewish festivals and observances

Etymology: "Megillahs" is the plural of "megillah," a noun taken from Hebrew "megillah," meaning "scroll." The Hebrew word comes from a root meaning to roll up, and in Jewish tradition it names the scrolls read at certain festivals, most famously the Book of Esther read at Purim. English also has "magilla," a doublet of the same Hebrew source, which entered the language through a different route and took on a looser, slangier sense. The two forms show the same word arriving in English twice, once through religious and scholarly contact and once through informal speech, so that a plain word for a scroll ended up with two very different lives in English.