dybbuk means A malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.
dybbuk is pronounced /ˈdɪbʊk/.
Why “dybbuk” is a great word
A malicious possessing spirit in Jewish folklore, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. From Yiddish dibek, from Late Hebrew dibbūq, from Hebrew dāḇaq ("to cling" or "to adhere"), first recorded in English use circa 1903. Unlike a demon, a malevolent being of non-human origin, or a ghost, a passive specter, a dybbuk is the invasive, unresolved residue of a human life. It is the sudden shift in a loved one’s gaze, the guttural rasp of a stranger’s voice from a familiar throat, the desperate struggle within a single body for dominion—the tangible terror of a past that refuses to be buried, a breath on the nape of the neck that will not let go.
Etymology
From Yiddish דיבוק (dibek), from Hebrew דבק (dovek, “cling”).
noun
- A malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.“And who am I? A dybbuk—a demon of all shapes and no shape. My profession is forced entry into the minds of mortals; my speciality is Jews.”
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