mikvah

or mik·veh

[ Sephardic Hebrew mee-kvah; Ashkenazic Hebrew, English mik-vuh ]

noun

, Hebrew.

, plural mik·voth, mik·vot, mik·vos [mee-, kvawt, mik, -vohs] English mik·vahs [mik, -v, uh, z]

1. a ritual bath to which Orthodox Jews are traditionally required to go on certain occasions, as before the Sabbath and after each menstrual period, to cleanse and purify themselves.

mikvah

/ mikˈvɑ; ˈmikvə /

noun

1. Judaism a pool used esp by women for ritual purification after their monthly period

Word History and Origins

Origin of mikvah¹

from Hebrew

Example Sentences

Students from Colby College helped harvest ice from a pond for a new mikvah, or ritual bath, at a synagogue in Waterville.

From New York Times

They bathed in a ritual bath, or mikvah, on the banks of the Gera River and buried their dead in a large cemetery just outside the city walls.

From Science Magazine

There is also a mikvah, or Jewish ritual bath for women.

From New York Times

Once a day, he performs ablutions at a mikvah, a Jewish ritual bath, and he regularly studies religious texts with a partner.

From Seattle Times

Plans are underway to break ground on the country’s first Jewish cemetery and ritual bath known as a mikvah, according to Rabbi Mendel Duchman, who helps run the country’s Jewish Community Center.

From Washington Times