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me·zu·zah also me·zu·za

(mə-zzə, -z-zä)

n. pl. me·zu·zahs also me·zu·zas (-zzəz) or me·zu·zot (-z-zôt)

1. A small piece of parchment inscribed with the biblical passages Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 and marked with the word Shaddai, a name of the Almighty, that is rolled up in a container and affixed by many Jewish households to their door frames in conformity with Jewish law and as a sign of their faith.

2. The container that holds this piece of parchment.

[Hebrew məzûzâ, doorpost, mezuzah; see ḏwḏ¹ in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

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mezuzah

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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