Dreidel (Noun)

Pronunciation: ['drey-dl]

Definition 1: A dreidel is a four sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The four letters are nun, gimel, hey, shin, which stand for Nes gadol hayah sham "A great miracle happened there." (In Israel the letters are nun, gimmel, hey, pey, which represent, Nes gadol haya poh "A miracle happened here.")

Usage 1: The dreidel is the center of one of the traditional games played by children after dinner as the candles of the 8-day Jewish Festival of the Lights (Chanukah) burn in the menorah. Each player puts a token—a piece of candy, a raisin, nut, or chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil (gelt)—in the pot. Then the first player spins the dreidel. When the dreidel stops, the letter that is facing up determines the play: "nun" means nothing happens, neither win nor loss; "gimel" means the player takes all tokens in the pot; "hey" means the player takes half of the pot, and if "shin" turns up, the player must put one token into the pot.

Suggested usage: The game of dreidel was played throughout Europe in the Middle Ages under various names. The Hebrew letters are probably taken from the German: N(un) for nichts "nothing," G(imel) for ganz "all," h(ei) for halb "half" and sh(in) for stellen "put in."

However, the dreidel has been invested over the years with a rich mantel of important Jewish history. First, it now represents the four ancient kingdoms that dominated the Jewish people: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Legend also has it that children would spin the dreidel as they studied the Torah and Talmud, an activity forbidden by their Persian and Greek persecutors. This way, if they were seen, they would be thought to be playing and not studying holy writ.

Etymology: The word "dreidel" is a Yiddish word built on the German word drehen "to spin, turn." This word is related to English "throw," which originally meant "to turn or twist." Albanian tjer "I spin" as well as Latin torquere "to spin," whence our words "torque" and "torment," are also cousins.

(We wish all our Jewish friends the happiest of Chanukahs, especially those in Israel, where we hope the lights of this Chanukah illuminate a brighter, more peaceful future in that part of our world.)

—Dr. Language, www.yourDictionary.com