Omer

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊmə/

Definitions

1. A biblical measurement of dry goods or grains used in ancient times; a period of counting days between significant religious events; a name of Hebrew origin meaning a sheaf or bundle of grain
2. An ancient unit for quantifying agricultural produce; a spiritual timeframe observed in certain religious traditions; a Hebrew personal name derived from a grain measure
3. A historical quantity used to measure harvests in old texts; a ritual interval marked by daily counting in specific faiths; a Hebrew name representing a handful of harvested grains

Etymology: The Hebrew word "ómer" meant "sheaf," a bundle of harvested grain stalks, and it appears in the Hebrew Bible as a unit of measure for barley offerings. The measure was a small quantity, roughly a tenth of an ephah, which is why a handful of harvested grains is among its senses in English. The word's best-known use comes from the Jewish practice of counting the Omer. Leviticus instructs that from the second day of Passover, a sheaf of barley was brought to the temple, and the period from then until Shavuot, seven weeks later, was counted day by day. English took the term from this ritual, and the full phrase "Sefirat Ha'Omer" (the counting of the Omer) is the source of the shortened form. Because the measure of barley and the counting ritual share the same name, the English word carries both senses: an agricultural quantity in old texts and a daily count in religious observance.

Synonyms: biblical measure, sheaf