menorah
Americannoun
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menorahs
plural
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a candelabrum having seven branches (as used in the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem), or any number of branches (as used in modern synagogues).
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a candelabrum having nine branches, for use on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
noun
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a seven-branched candelabrum used in the Temple and now an emblem of Judaism and the badge of the state of Israel
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a candelabrum having eight branches and a shammes that is lit during the festival of Hanukkah
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of menorah
First recorded in 1885–90, menorah is from the Hebrew word mənōrāh literally, lampstand
Explanation
A menorah is a special candleholder for seven or nine candles. Nine-branched menorahs are used during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that falls in the late fall or winter and lasts for eight days and nights. A menorah is an important part of celebrating Hanukkah, also known as "the festival of lights." A seven-branched menorah, which did not use candles but instead had seven oil lamps, is described in the Hebrew Bible. The word menorah comes from a Semitic root meaning "to shine."
Vocabulary lists containing menorah
It's Lit: Hanukkah Words
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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Watch Us Rise
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A Jewish menorah was projected on to the pylons of the Harbour Bridge.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
As a song—“Just a Little Bit of Light”—plays, he lifts a large menorah from his car, fastens it onto the roof, lights it, and dances beside it, out in the street.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025
But beyond that, the reports are like Christmas trees, or candles on a menorah.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
It ends with a big Halloween party and a fast punk rock song about all the different ways to make a menorah that channels Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
The first time we met the Gestapo, they’d helped themselves to most of the books, one painting, the silver menorah, and all of Grandmother Adler’s china.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
For eight nights every December, our children light their menorahs and sing prayers together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Hundreds of hand-drawn menorahs appeared in windows around Billings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
Often, these traditions reach far beyond symbols of faith like Christmas trees and Hanukkah menorahs, and can be traced back to a treasured friend or a relative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
“The Essex Jewish community has proudly been displaying menorahs for 35 years, and this is our 10th and newest,” Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin, executive director of Chabad North East London & Essex, said in a statement.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
The fourth graders cut menorahs from cardboard and covered them with glittering aluminum foil.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
