Ashura Definition
ə-sho͝orə
noun
The tenth day of Muharram, observed as a holy day of mourning by Shiites on the anniversary of the death of Hussein, grandson of Muhammad.
American Heritage
The tenth day of Muharram, observed in Sunni Islam as an optional day of fasting established by Muhammad.
American Heritage
Origin of Ashura
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Arabic ‘āšūrā’ the tenth day of Muharram kept as a day of fasting by Arabs in pre-Islamic times, Ashura ultimately (probably via Aramaic ‘āsorā) from Hebrew ‘āśôr a set of ten (days, etc.), decade (used in Leviticus to specify the date of Yom Kippur, the tenth day of Tishri) from ‘eśer ten ʕśr in Semitic roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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