dreidel · noun — A four-sided spinning top, inscribed with the four Hebrew letters נ (nun), ג (gimel), ה (hey), and ש (shin) (or פ (pey)) on each side, often used to play a traditional game during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
dreidel is pronounced /ˈdɹeɪdl̩/.
Why “dreidel” is a great word
A four-sided spinning top inscribed with Hebrew letters, used especially in a game of chance played during Hanukkah. From Yiddish דריידל (dreydl), probably a blend of דרייען (dreyen, "to spin") and טרענדל (trendl, "spinning top"), with דרייען from Middle High German dræn, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną ("to turn, twist") and טרענדל from Middle High German trendel, from Proto-Germanic *trandijaną ("to revolve, spin"). Unlike "teetotum" (a generic multi-sided top for European gambling games, stripped of specific cultural meaning) or a mere "toy top" (a simple child's spinner without script or season), the dreidel bears its history on its faces, the letters—נ, ג, ה, ש—encoding the stakes of the game. It is the clatter of wood on a wooden table, the flick of a child's finger launching a wobbling orbit, the collective breath held over a spinning verdict of gain or loss. It is the modest, domestic miracle of a game invented to disguise study, a whirling object that teaches even play can be an act of preservation.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Yiddish דריידל (dreydl, “dreidel; spinning top”), probably a blend of דרייען (dreyen, “to spin; to turn; to twist”) + טרענדל (trendl, “(dated) dreidel; spinning top”). דרייען (dreyen) is derived from Middle High German dræn, from Old High German drāen (“to turn; to twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to turn; to twist”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to turn; to rub; to drill, pierce”); and טרענדל (trendl) is derived from Middle High German trendel (“spinning top”), from Proto-Germanic *trandijaną (“to revolve, spin”).
noun
- A four-sided spinning top, inscribed with the four Hebrew letters נ (nun), ג (gimel), ה (hey), and ש (shin) (or פ (pey)) on each side, often used to play a traditional game during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
- A gambling game played using this top.e.g.“We do not spend our days huddled in smoke-filled rooms plotting world domination while Jared Kushner plays dreidel in the back with Noam Chomsky and George Soros sneaks the last latke.” — 2022 January 19, Yair Rosenberg, “Why So Many People Still Don’t Understand Anti-Semitism”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2022:
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.
- teetotum 68% match — A toy (spinning top) similar to a dreidel. vs dreidel →
- dalet 53% match — The fourth letter of many Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others). vs dreidel →
- hanukkiah 50% match — A nine-branched menorah used during Hanukkah. vs dreidel →
- beigoma 48% match — A traditional Japanese spinning top. vs dreidel →
- knaidel 47% match — A type of dumpling made of matzo eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during Passover. vs dreidel →
- kugel 47% match — A traditional savoury or sweet Jewish dish consisting of a baked pudding of pasta, potatoes, or rice, with vegetables, or raisins and spices. vs dreidel →
- sufganiyah 46% match — A deep-fried, ball-shaped doughnut, usually filled with jelly or custard and topped with powdered sugar. vs dreidel →
- nikud 46% match — The system of optional diacritics attached to Hebrew letters that indicate vowels and consonant variations. vs dreidel →