Purim

[ poor-im; Sephardic Hebrew poo-reem; Ashkenazic Hebrew poor-im ]

noun
  1. a Jewish festival celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Adar in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews in Persia from destruction by Haman.

Origin of Purim

1
<Hebrew pūrīm, plural of pūr lot

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British Dictionary definitions for Purim

Purim

/ (ˈpʊərɪm, Hebrew puːˈriːm ) /


noun
  1. a Jewish holiday celebrated on Adar 14, in February or March, and in Adar Sheni in leap years, to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the massacre planned for them by Haman (Esther 9)

Origin of Purim

1
Hebrew pūrīm, plural of pūr lot; from the casting of lots by Haman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Purim

Purim

[ (poor-im) ]


A Jewish festival celebrated each spring before Passover (see also Passover). It commemorates the deliverance of the Jews (see also Jews) from wholesale slaughter by Haman. (See Esther.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.