Purim Definition & Meaning

Origin of Purim

Hebrew pûrîm pl. of pûr lot (from the lots Haman cast to decide the day of the massacre, Esther 9:24–26) from Akkadian pūru lot

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

That one of the earlier dates is correct seems probable from the fact that the Falashas know nothing of either the Babylonian or Jerusalem Talmud, make no use of phylacteries (tefillin), and observe neither the feast of Purim nor the dedication of the temple.
Purim is the carnival of the Jewish year.
From the 17th century onward Purim plays were performed mostly by the children, who improvised a dramatic version of the story of Esther.
Scarcely more is to be said in favour of the suggestion made by Von Hammer; but better known in connexion with the name of Lagarde, who connects the name Purim with the old Zoroastrian festival of the dead, entitled Farwardigan.
This etymological connexion, suggested by Jensen (Kosmologie, 84), brings the festival of Purim into close relation with the Babylonian New Year festival known as Zagmuku, in which one of the most prominent ceremonials was the celebration of the assembly of the gods under the presidency of Marduk (Merodach) for the purpose of determining the fates of the New Year.

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