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cab·a·la 
Audio Help [kab-uh-luh, kuh-bah-] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [kab-uh-luh, kuh-bah-] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a system of esoteric theosophy and theurgy developed by rabbis, reaching its peak about the 12th and 13th centuries, and influencing certain medieval and Renaissance Christian thinkers. It was based on a mystical method of interpreting Scripture by which initiates claimed to penetrate sacred mysteries. Among its central doctrines are, all creation is an emanation from the Deity and the soul exists from eternity. |
| 2. | any occult or secret doctrine or science. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Cabala
To learn more about Cabala visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| cab·a·la
Audio Help (kāb'ə-lə, kə-bä'-) Pronunciation Key
n. Variant of kabbalah. See Usage Note at kabbalah. cab'a·lism n., cab'a·list n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| kab·ba·lah or kab·ba·la or ka·ba·la also ca·ba·la or qa·ba·la or qa·ba·lah
Audio Help (kāb'ə-lə, kə-bä'lə) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Medieval Latin cabala, from Hebrew qabbālâ, received doctrine, tradition, from qibbēl, to receive; see qbl in Semitic roots.] kab'ba·lism n., kab'ba·list n. Usage Note: There are no less than two dozen variant spellings of kabbalah, the most common of which include kabbalah, kabala, kabalah, qabalah, qabala, cabala, cabbala, kaballah, kabbala, kaballah, and qabbalah. This sort of confusion is frequently seen with Hebrew and Arabic words borrowed into English because there exist several different systems of transliterating the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets into Roman letters. Often a more exact or scholarly transliteration, such as Qur'an, will coexist alongside a spelling that has been heavily Anglicized (Koran). The fact that the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets do not as a rule indicate short vowels or the doubling of consonants compounds the difficulties. Spellings of kabbalah with one or two b's are equally "correct," insofar as the single b accurately reproduces the spelling of the Hebrew, while the double b represents the fact that it was once pronounced with a double b. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| cabala | |
noun | |
| 1. | an esoteric or occult matter resembling the Kabbalah that is traditionally secret |
| 2. | an esoteric theosophy of rabbinical origin based on the Hebrew scriptures and developed between the 7th and 18th centuries [syn: Kabbalah] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
Cabala
Ca*bal"\ (k[.a]*b[a^]l"), n. [F. cabale cabal, cabala, LL. cabala cabala, fr. Heb. qabb[=a]l[=e]h reception, tradition, mysterious doctrine, fr. q[=a]bal to take or receive, in Pi["e]l qibbel to adopt (a doctrine).]1. Tradition; occult doctrine. See Cabala [Obs.] --Hakewill. 2. A secret. [Obs.] "The measuring of the temple, a cabal found out but lately." --B. Jonson. 3. A number of persons united in some close design, usually to promote their private views and interests in church or state by intrigue; a secret association composed of a few designing persons; a junto. Note: It so happend, by a whimsical coincidence, that in 1671 the cabinet consisted of five persons, the initial letters of whose names made up the word cabal; Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale. --Macaulay. 4. The secret artifices or machinations of a few persons united in a close design; intrigue. By cursed cabals of women. --Dryden. Syn: Junto; intrigue; plot; combination; conspiracy. Usage: Cabal, Combination, Faction. An association for some purpose considered to be bad is the idea common to these terms. A combination is an organized union of individuals for mutual support, in urging their demands or resisting the claims of others, and may be good or bad according to circumstances; as, a combiniation of workmen or of employers to effect or to prevent a change in prices. A cabal is a secret association of a few individuals who seek by cunning practices to obtain office and power. A faction is a larger body than a cabal, employed for selfish purposes in agitating the community and working up an excitement with a view to change the existing order of things. "Selfishness, insubordination, and laxity of morals give rise to combinations, which belong particularly to the lower orders of society. Restless, jealous, ambitious, and little minds are ever forming cabals. Factions belong especially to free governments, and are raised by busy and turbulent spirits for selfish purposes". --Crabb.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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