Hanukkah Definition

KHänyo͝okä, KHänyo͝okə; hänyo͝okä, hänyo͝okə

noun

A Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 b.c. and celebrated for 8 days beginning the 25th day of Kislev.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
feast of lights
feast of dedication
festival-of-lights
channukah
Feast of the Dedication
channukkah
chanukkah
chanukah
hannukah
hanukah

pronoun

(Judaism) An eight-day Jewish festival, starting on the 25th day of Kislev, which commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek Syrians.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Hanukkah

Noun

Singular:

Hanukkah

Plural:

hanukkahs

Origin of Hanukkah

Originated 1890–95. From Hebrew חנוכה \ חֲנֻכָּה (khanuká, “dedication, consecration”) from חָנַךְ (khanákh, “to dedicate, to consecrate”).

From Wiktionary
Hebrew ḥănukkâ dedication from ḥānak to train, dedicate ḥnk in Semitic roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition