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Tishah b'Ab

Tishah b'Ab

9.9
A day when Jewish people fast and mourn the destruction of the ancient temples in Jerusalem
  • noun
  • /ˈtɪʃə bʌʔˈɑb/
translation icon : Tishá b'Av
  • Jews around the world observe Tishah b'Ab by fasting and mourning the destruction of the ancient temples.

Examples

  • The book of Lamentations is traditionally read on Tishah b'Ab as part of the commemoration.

  • Many synagogues hold special services on Tishah b'Ab to remember the tragedies that befell the Jewish people.

  • Jews around the world observe Tishah b'Ab by fasting and mourning the destruction of the ancient temples.

  • Many Jews observe Tishah b'Ab with fasting.

  • Is Tishah b'Ab a day of mourning?

  • Many synagogues hold special services on Tishah b'Ab to remember the tragedies that befell the Jewish people.

  • The book of Lamentations is traditionally read on Tishah b'Ab as part of the commemoration.

Synonyms

Tishah b'Av
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A Jewish day when people fast and mourn for the destruction of the Jerusalem temples

has the same meaning but uses a different spelling or form
Tisha b'Av
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A day when Jewish people fast and mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem

has identical sense but differs in orthography or capitalization
Tisha B'Av
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A Jewish fast day to remember the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem

keeps the same meaning while changing spelling and punctuation
Fast of Av
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A major Jewish fast on the ninth day of Av that remembers the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem

expresses the same observance but in the original language form
Fast of Ab
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A major Jewish day when people do not eat to remember when the temples were destroyed in Jerusalem

keeps identical observance but preserves the original language form
Ninth of Av
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A major Jewish day when people do not eat or drink to remember when the temples in Jerusalem were destroyed

conveys the same festival but uses the traditional language name
Ninth of Ab
vsTishah b'Ab
9.9

A major Jewish fast day when people mourn the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem

means the same commemoration while maintaining the original linguistic form

Surface Forms

Tishah b'Ab singular

Morphology

Tishah + b'Ab

This is a Hebrew calendrical name (Tishah B'Av) made of non‑English morphemes; knowing the literal parts (e.g. ‘nine’ and the month name Av) would at best give a date ('ninth of Av') but not the cultural/religious meaning of a major fast commemorating the Temple destructions. The term is a lexicalized proper name requiring specific cultural knowledge, so its meaning is not derivable from its constituents for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Tishah b'Ab literally means 'the ninth of the month of Av' in Hebrew. It marks the day when the ancient temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, so people fast and mourn to remember those events.