mezuzah

noun

me·​zu·​zah mə-ˈzu̇-zə 

variants or mezuza

plural mezuzahs or mezuzas or mezuzot mə-ˈzu̇-ˌzōt 

: a small parchment scroll inscribed with Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21 and the name Shaddai and placed in a case fixed to the doorpost by some Jewish families as a sign and reminder of their faith

also : such a scroll and its case

Examples of mezuzah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One such incident involved a University of North Carolina student who had a Jewish slur written on their door days after their mezuzah — a small box placed on the right doorpost of Jewish homes — was stolen. —Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2025

In honor of Auschwitz’s Jewish victims and to reclaim the house from its evil past and put it on the path of doing good, a mezuzah has been added to the front door. —Elliott Broidy, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2025

Lewis has bought new mezuzahs, but can’t bring herself to hang them in the café’s new premises in the nearby suburb of Darlinghurst. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025

The first thing members of the Counter Extremism project did was to attach a mezuzah to the front door, as a way of both reclaiming the house and opening it to all. —Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew mĕzūzāh doorpost

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mezuzah

noun

me·​zu·​zah

variants or mezuza

mə-ˈzu̇z-ə 

plural mezuzahs or mezuzas or mezuzot -ˌōt 

: a small scroll of parchment inscribed with two passages from Deuteronomy and the name Shaddai (the Almighty) and placed in a case that is attached to the doorjamb by some Jewish families as a sign and reminder of their faith

also : such a scroll and case