Succahs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A temporary shelter or booth constructed during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, typically made from natural materials like branches and leaves
2. A structure designed for use during the festival of booths, often decorated and used for communal meals and gatherings
3. An outdoor dwelling erected for the duration of Sukkot, symbolizing the Israelites' wanderings in the desert while celebrating harvest times

Etymology: "Succahs" is the plural of "succah," a Hebrew-derived noun for the temporary booth built during the autumn festival of Sukkot. The singular comes from Hebrew "sukkah," meaning "booth" or "hut," and the plural form reflects the Hebrew sukkot, which is itself the plural of that word. English speakers who write "succahs" are therefore pluralizing a form that already carries a plural ending in its source language. The festival's booths are rooted in the biblical instruction to dwell in temporary shelters, a practice meant to recall the Israelites' years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus. The same festival also marks the gathering of the harvest, so the structures blend memory of the wilderness with thanks for the year's crops. Because English transliterations of Hebrew vary widely, the spelling "succah" is one of several accepted forms, and writers choose among them according to house style.

Synonyms: shelters, huts, booths, temporary-structures, lean-tos