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Order and ritual are very important in the seder—so important that they are even reflected in its name: the English word seder is a transliteration of the Hebrew word sēdher, meaning “order.” The courses in the meal, as well as blessings, prayers, stories, and songs, are recorded in the Haggadah, a book that lays out the order of the Passover feast and recounts the story of Exodus. Each food consumed as part of the seder recalls an aspect of the Israelites’ 13th century BCE exodus from Egypt. For instance, matzo (unleavened bread) represents the haste with which the Israelites fled; maror (a mix of bitter herbs) recalls the bitterness of enslaved life; and a mixture of fruits and nuts called charoset (also rendered as charoses or haroset/haroses) symbolizes the clay or mortar the Israelites worked with during their Egyptian enslavement.
Examples of seder in a Sentence
Time, 14 Apr. 2025
Shapiro's family, like other Jewish families, held a seder, a traditional Passover meal that includes reading, drinking four cups of wine, telling stories, eating special foods, singing, and other traditions.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2025
There will be two ritual meals, or seders, designed to imitate an ancient Roman banquet.
—Kenneth Seeskin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Horn recalls that the seder in the Torah is described as the Night of Watching.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Seder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seder. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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