Yobel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A ceremonial object made from wood, often associated with biblical traditions, signifying freedom and restoration
2. A historical instrument used to announce the year of Jubilee in ancient societies, symbolizing the liberation of people and land
3. A term referring to a joyous sound or trumpet call, marking important events or transitions within a community

Etymology: In ancient Israel, the "yobel" was a ram's horn, and its blast announced the fiftieth year, when debts were forgiven, enslaved people were freed, and ancestral land returned to its original families (Leviticus 25). The instrument lent its name to the year itself. The Latin Bible rendered the Hebrew as "iubilaeus," and that Latin form gave English "jubilee," which arrived through Old French "jubilé" in the Middle English period. The word's own origin is less certain. It may derive from a Hebrew term for the ram, though this is uncertain. The Latin "iubilare," meaning "to shout for joy," was probably linked to the word in Latin usage, which made the festival sound like a celebration, but the two are generally considered separate in origin.

Synonyms: jubilee, year of release