: the god of destruction and regeneration in the Hindu sacred triad compare brahma entry 1, vishnu
variants
or less commonly shivah
or Shiva
or Shivah
: a traditional seven-day period of mourning the death of a family member that is observed in Jewish homes
Details about the funeral and shiva have not yet been finalized.—
Alyssa Fisher
Alyssa FisherThe observance of Shiva is traced to the dawn of Jewish history. The Torah relates that Joseph mourned the death of Jacob his father for seven days.—Zalman Goldstein
—often used in the phrase sit shiva
Zalman GoldsteinWe're going to say kaddish, sit shiva and eat poundcake for a week—Gary David Goldberg
Gary David GoldbergShe's sitting shivah for her father. She doesn't want to be disturbed.—Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret… the comedy centers on a dysfunctional family that is forced to reunite when their father requests they sit Shivah for seven days following his death.—Dave Trumbore
Dave TrumboreExamples of Shiva in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebEtan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
The series, created by Muslim filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, featured a scene in which a character, played by Muslim actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, portrayed the Hindu God Shiva.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 May 2024
There’s always pressure to meet financial targets, Shiva Rajgopal, a professor of accounting and auditing at Columbia Business School, told me.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 May 2024
An adaptation of Alexandra Shiva’s 2015 documentary about young autistic adults preparing for a spring formal dance in Columbus, Ohio, is the basis for the new Broadway musical with the same name.
—Kellina Moore, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
Coming off their indie hit, Shiva Baby, Emma Selligman and Rachel Sennott have created a hilarious ode and necessary update to the 2000s raunchy high school comedy.
—The Glamour Editors, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2023
The show, which premiered at Syracuse Stage last year, is based on Alexandra Shiva’s 2015 HBO documentary about a group counseling center in Columbus, Ohio, where autistic young adults prepare for a spring formal.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 11 Dec. 2023
Set at Amigo Family Counseling, a real Columbus mental health center for autistic people, the film, by Alexandra Shiva, highlights the experiences of several clients preparing for a spring formal.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2023
The film revisits the folk tale of Kannappa, an atheist hunter who became a devotee of Hindu god Shiva and plucked out his eyes in an act of extreme devotion.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
Emily Listfield, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Apr. 2023
However, on the unexpected death of Tamás’s wife (Ágnes Máhr), Iván, who had become religious in Israel in the meantime, decides to move into Tamás’s apartment and, in accordance with Jewish traditions, spend a week of mourning and shiva.
—Marina Lazarevska, Variety, 16 Aug. 2022
The funeral was expected to be live-streamed, with a shiva to follow.
—Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 8 July 2022
Largely a single-setting comedy, the film unfolds at a shiva attended by Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a bisexual Jewish woman whose house of cards is about to come tumbling down in front of everyone when her sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) shows up with his wife (Dianna Agron).
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 May 2022
After shiva comes shloshim, a period of less intense mourning in which observant Jews leave the home but continue to observe some restrictions, like avoiding music and dancing.
—New York Times, 10 Aug. 2021
The dress code for a memorial service or shiva is less formal, but show respect for the occasion, says Diane Gottsman of the Protocol School of Texas.
—Debby Waldman, Wired, 17 Mar. 2021
For Mile End's Tietolman, the deli is always there for people, from the start of life at a bris to the end of life at a shiva.
—Noah Sheidlower and Radhika Marya, CNN, 7 Nov. 2021
The closeness at the shiva, with everyone crowding into small corners in small rooms, is clearly a wet heat.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2021
Noun
Her other credits include Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, Netflix’s You People, Adam McKay’s HBO series Winning Time, Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart, Gene Supnitsky and Lee Eisenberg’s Good Boys, Ben Falcone’s Life of the Party, TNT’s Animal Kingdom, and the FX series Ramy.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
The series, created by Muslim filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, featured a scene in which a character, played by Muslim actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, portrayed the Hindu God Shiva.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 May 2024
There’s always pressure to meet financial targets, Shiva Rajgopal, a professor of accounting and auditing at Columbia Business School, told me.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 May 2024
An adaptation of Alexandra Shiva’s 2015 documentary about young autistic adults preparing for a spring formal dance in Columbus, Ohio, is the basis for the new Broadway musical with the same name.
—Kellina Moore, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
Coming off their indie hit, Shiva Baby, Emma Selligman and Rachel Sennott have created a hilarious ode and necessary update to the 2000s raunchy high school comedy.
—The Glamour Editors, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2023
The show, which premiered at Syracuse Stage last year, is based on Alexandra Shiva’s 2015 HBO documentary about a group counseling center in Columbus, Ohio, where autistic young adults prepare for a spring formal.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 11 Dec. 2023
Set at Amigo Family Counseling, a real Columbus mental health center for autistic people, the film, by Alexandra Shiva, highlights the experiences of several clients preparing for a spring formal.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2023
The film revisits the folk tale of Kannappa, an atheist hunter who became a devotee of Hindu god Shiva and plucked out his eyes in an act of extreme devotion.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
Noun
Later that week, at my mother’s shiva, her friends laughed and traded stories about her determination, resilience, and gift for reinvention.
—Emily Listfield, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Apr. 2023
However, on the unexpected death of Tamás’s wife (Ágnes Máhr), Iván, who had become religious in Israel in the meantime, decides to move into Tamás’s apartment and, in accordance with Jewish traditions, spend a week of mourning and shiva.
—Marina Lazarevska, Variety, 16 Aug. 2022
The funeral was expected to be live-streamed, with a shiva to follow.
—Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 8 July 2022
Largely a single-setting comedy, the film unfolds at a shiva attended by Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a bisexual Jewish woman whose house of cards is about to come tumbling down in front of everyone when her sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) shows up with his wife (Dianna Agron).
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 May 2022
After shiva comes shloshim, a period of less intense mourning in which observant Jews leave the home but continue to observe some restrictions, like avoiding music and dancing.
—New York Times, 10 Aug. 2021
The dress code for a memorial service or shiva is less formal, but show respect for the occasion, says Diane Gottsman of the Protocol School of Texas.
—Debby Waldman, Wired, 17 Mar. 2021
For Mile End's Tietolman, the deli is always there for people, from the start of life at a bris to the end of life at a shiva.
—Noah Sheidlower and Radhika Marya, CNN, 7 Nov. 2021
The closeness at the shiva, with everyone crowding into small corners in small rooms, is clearly a wet heat.
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Shiva.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Shiva
Cite this Entry
“Shiva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Shiva. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
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