MEANING
A traditional Jewish seven-day period of mourning observed after the death of a close family member.
Use it for
naming the Jewish mourning period after a family death; describing relatives receiving support during bereavement; distinguishing a mourning observance from the funeral ceremony; writing accurately about a family sitting shivaNames a specific established mourning observance rather than treating all funeral practices as interchangeable. Writing functions: Mourning / Loss.
Words that belong together
- sit shiva
- observe shiva
- during shiva
- a shiva visit
On the page
During shiva, neighbors brought meals and sat with the family.
She had not seen her cousins for years before they gathered to sit shiva for their grandfather.
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- shiva
Usage notes
Usually an uncountable noun: sit shiva; observe shiva; during shiva. Common English variant shivah denotes the same entry, not a new headword. The lowercase mourning noun is distinct from the Hindu deity’s proper name Shiva. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common in English discussion of Jewish mourning; culturally specific (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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