afikomen means the matzoh eaten at a Passover seder, after dinner.
Why “afikomen” is a great word
A piece of matzah hidden during the Passover seder and ritualistically eaten as the final food of the meal. From Yiddish אַפֿיקומן (afikoymen), from Hebrew אֲפִיקוֹמָן (afikomán), from Greek ἐπικώμιον (epikṓmion, "revelry, dessert"), from ἐπί (epí, "upon, after") and κῶμος (kômos, "revel, merrymaking"). Unlike "matzah"—the general term for the unleavened bread—or "dessert"—a generic sweet conclusion—the afikomen is a singular, performative fragment, the endpoint around which the entire ceremony is structured. It is the prize sought by children in shadowy corners, the crisp, shared morsel broken in a hushed dining room, the last taste of sustenance clinging to the tongue before the final blessing; a ritual closure so definitive it replaces all after-dinner revelry, transforming mere fasting into a deliberate, communal fast.
Etymology
Borrowed from Yiddish אַפֿיקומן (afikoymen), from Hebrew אֲפִיקוֹמָן ('afikomán).
noun
- The matzoh eaten at a Passover seder, after dinner.e.g.“The Passover Seders that Jews celebrated on the weekend would have been incomplete without the afikomen.” — 2008 April 22, Clyde Haberman, “The Unsavory Is No Rarity at City Hall”, in New York Times:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- chametz 56% match — Food products made from leavened grain flour, which may not be consumed on Passover. vs afikomen →
- knaidel 54% match — A type of dumpling made of matzo eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during Passover. vs afikomen →
- matzo 53% match — Thin, unleavened bread in Jewish cuisine. vs afikomen →
- farfel 52% match — Small pellet-shaped egg pasta in Ashkenazic Jewish cuisine, made instead out of matzah during Passover. vs afikomen →
- karpas 51% match — A traditional ritual dish eaten at Passover, consisting of a vegetable (typically celery or parsley) dipped in salt water or other liquid. vs afikomen →
- afters 51% match — Dessert. vs afikomen →
- haroseth 51% match — A paste made of fruits and nuts eaten at Passover, representing the mortar mixed by the Israelites during their slavery in Egypt. vs afikomen →
- pasch 51% match — Passover. vs afikomen →