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Glite Dictionary
Rosh Hashonah

Rosh Hashonah

7.2
A Jewish New Year festival in early autumn marked by prayer and the blowing of a ram's horn
  • proper noun
  • /roʊʃ hɑːʃoʊˈnɑː/
  • Jargon
translation icon : Rosh Hashaná
  • The sound of the shofar marks the beginning of Rosh Hashonah in synagogues around the world.

Examples

  • The sound of the shofar marks the beginning of Rosh Hashonah in synagogues around the world.

  • During Rosh Hashonah, it is customary to wish others a sweet and prosperous New Year.

  • Every year, my family gathers to celebrate Rosh Hashonah with traditional prayers and meals.

  • We celebrate Rosh Hashonah with family gatherings.

  • Are you ready for Rosh Hashonah this year?

  • During Rosh Hashonah, it is customary to wish others a sweet and prosperous New Year.

  • Every year, my family gathers to celebrate Rosh Hashonah with traditional prayers and meals.

Synonyms

Rosh Hashana
vsRosh Hashonah
  • Jargon
3 7.2

A Jewish holiday that marks the New Year with prayer and the sound of a ram's horn

is the same festival expressed with a different accepted spelling
Jewish New Year
vsRosh Hashonah
1 5.3

A solemn Jewish festival that marks the start of the year with prayers and the blowing of a horn

is the transliterated traditional name rather than the English descriptive phrase
Rosh Hashanah
vsRosh Hashonah
  • Jargon
7.5

A Jewish festival that marks the new year with prayer and the blowing of a ram's horn

is an alternative transliteration of the same festival name
Rosh Hashona
vsRosh Hashonah
  • Jargon
7.9

A Jewish new year holiday marked by prayer and the sounding of a ram's horn

is the identical festival name rendered with a slightly different transliteration

Surface Forms

Rosh Hashonah main

Morphology

Rosh + Hashonah

Rosh Hashonah is a proper name borrowed from Hebrew whose constituents are not English lexical items a B1 learner would know; the festival meaning (Jewish New Year, shofar, prayer) is culturally specific and cannot be derived from the surface words. Understanding this expression requires knowledge of Hebrew roots or cultural background rather than simple composition, so it is not transparently interpretable by learners who only know the literal constituents.

Etymology

Rosh Hashonah literally comes from the Hebrew words Rosh meaning 'head' and Hashonah meaning 'year', so the name gives the clear image of the 'start of the year'. That's why Rosh Hashonah is the Jewish 'New Year' when people pray, think about the past year, and listen to the shofar.