kaddish

noun, often capitalized kad·dish \ ˈkä-dish \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Definition of kaddish

plural kaddishes also kaddishim play \kä-ˈdi-shim, -(ˌ)shēm\

: a Jewish prayer recited in the daily ritual of the synagogue and by mourners at public services after the death of a close relative

Recent Examples of kaddish from the Web

The two Australian Jews stood side-by-side in the cemetery to recite the kaddish for their deceased siblings.

— emanuella grinberg, Smithsonian, "When a Bavarian Monastery Provided a Home to Jewish Refugees," 11 July 2018
Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish.

— matthew shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017
Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish.

— matthew shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017
Indeed, the kaddish may be interpreted as our words of comfort to God Himself.

— rabbi avi weiss, Jewish Journal, "Weiss: Teshuvah: God's return to us," 12 Sep. 2017
Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish.

— matthew shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017
Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish.

— matthew shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017
Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish.

— matthew shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 29 Mar. 2017
Your goal is to mark them in a way that people can come to them with tears in their eyes, come to them as memorials, come to them to say the mourner’s kaddish.

— matthew shaer, Smithsonian, "The Holocaust’s Great Escape," 2 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kaddish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.