MENORAH

[Dr. Goodword]

• menorah •

Pronunciation: mê-nor-ê • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. A seven-branched candelabrum symbolizing the seven days of creation. 2. A nine-branched candelabrum used in the celebration of Hanukkah, also called the Hanukiah.

Notes: Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is an eight-day festival celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian (Seleucid) kings who succeeded the short-lived empire of Alexander the Great. The Syrians forbad upholding Jewish law and prohibited Jewish services until they were defeated by Judas Maccabeus and his followers. When the second Temple of Jerusalem was rededicated about 165 BCE, there was only a one-day supply of oil for the Temple lamps. However, that one-day supply miraculously burned for eight full days.

In Play: Our Jewish friends will light one candle for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah in remembrance of this miracle. The ninth candle, called the Shamash and seated in the middle holder, is used to light the other eight. Hanukkah began last night at dusk. alphaDictionary wishes the worldwide Jewish community the happiest of Hanukkah seasons.

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from the Semitic root nwr "to shine "be(come) bright". Semitic languages like Hebrew and Arabic use vowels the way English uses prefixes and suffixes. Changing the vowels between the consonants changes the meaning of words the way prefixes and suffixes do in English. That doesn't mean Semitic languages do not use prefixes and suffixes; they use them, too. So with the prefix me- and the vowels O and A, we get today's Good Word: menorah "lamp, lampstand", related to ner "lamp". With the prefix ma- and the vowel A, we get Arabic manara "lamp, lighthouse", the origin of our minaret, related to Arabic nur "light".

[Slava]

I admit I didn't look hard and long, but I didn't come across a pronunciation for Hanukiah. Can anyone clue me in?

[Perry Lassiter]

The pronunciation I hear most often emphasizes the first syllable with the a sounding as ah, HAHnuka, with the other two vowels very short, perhaps a schwa.

[Slava]

Thanks pl, but that's not the one I'm looking for. What's the pronunciation of the word for the menorah, the Hanukiah? Does the stress shift to the U, to the I, to the second A, or not at all?

HAnukiah
HanUkiah
HanukIah
HanukiAh

?

[LukeJavan8]

Semitic languages like Hebrew and Arabic use vowels the way English uses prefixes and suffixes. Changing the vowels between the consonants changes the meaning of words the way prefixes and suffixes do in English.

Not speaking these languages I really found this
interesting. I've wondered for decades how a word
could be pronounced without vowels. Now it makes
sense. Thanks Doc.