Shavuot

noun

Sha·​vu·​ot shə-ˈvü-ˌōt How to pronounce Shavuot (audio)
-ˌōth,
-ˌōs,
-əs
variants or less commonly Shavuos or Shavuoth or Shabuoth
: a Jewish holiday observed on the sixth of Sivan and by Orthodox and Conservative Jews in the Diaspora also on the seventh of Sivan in commemoration of the revelation of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai

called also Pentecost

Examples of Shavuot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
One Saturday evening in June, a hundred Currents readers crammed into a loft in Brooklyn for an all-night text study to celebrate the festival of Shavuot. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024 After eight long months, her partner had taken her away for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Shira Pinson, NBC News, 14 June 2024 Hopefully, the parties will reach a cease-fire deal before Netanyahu’s speech, which was rescheduled from June 13 because of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Josh Rogin, Washington Post, 14 June 2024 Ben-Zaken and Schuster spoke to the New York Jewish Week on a sunny, temperate morning just a few days ahead of Shavuot — a holiday when Jews traditionally eat cheesecake and other dairy food. Julia Gergely, Sun Sentinel, 13 June 2024 No wonder the holiday of Shavuot, unlike all other festivals, is not tied to a historical event. Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2023 Just over a month ago, the Goyim Defense League reportedly dropped flyers in Peabody on the Saturday that began the Jewish holiday Shavuot, which celebrates the revelation of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 5 July 2022 For most American Jews today, Shavuot is not exactly a big-ticket holiday. Laura Yares, The Conversation, 22 May 2023 The dairy component sets Shavuot apart from other Jewish holidays where meat traditionally takes center stage. David Oliver, USA TODAY, 25 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew shābhūʽōth, plural of shābhūaʽ week

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Shavuot was in 1613

Dictionary Entries Near Shavuot

Cite this Entry

“Shavuot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Shavuot. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!