shamus

1 of 2

noun (1)

sha·​mus ˈshä-məs  ˈshā- 

1

slang : police officer

2

slang : private investigator

shammash

2 of 2

noun (2)

sham·​mash

variants or shamash or shammas or shamas or shammes or shames or shammos or shamus

ˈshäməs 

plural shammashim or shamashim or shammasim or shamasim or shammosim or shamosim

shäˈmȯsə̇m, 

-sēm

1

: the sexton of a synagogue

2

: the candle or taper used to light the other candles in a Hanukkah menorah

Synonyms of shamus

Noun (1)

• policeman
• cop
• officer
• constable

Examples of shamus in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a hard-bitten L.A. shamus who, when he's not battling crooks, is locking horns with his superiors

he's a shamus who mostly finds evidence to use in divorce cases

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard was one in a long line of LA shamuses tripped up by wealth and beauty, from Marlowe and Gittes to Rawlins and Bosch. — Wired, 1 Nov. 2019

When the franchise was rejuvenated in 2000 with Samuel L. Jackson starring as the nephew of the famed shamus, Roundtree appeared as his uncle. — Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps from Yiddish shames shammes; from a jocular comparison of the duties of a sexton and those of a store detective

Noun (2)

Yiddish & Middle Hebrew; Yiddish shames, from Middle Hebrew shāmmāsh, from Aramaic shĕmmāsh to serve

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shamus

• amos
• famous
• ramus
• ignoramus
• mandamus