Kaddish
/ˈkɑː.dɪʃ/noun
A Jewish prayer praising and sanctifying God, especially recited by mourners.
Did you know?The Kaddish began as an Aramaic doxology praising God and only later became closely associated with mourning, because mourners recite it while affirming divine holiness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*q-d-š
“A reconstructed root associated with holiness, separation, or consecration.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
qadosh
“Holy or set apart.”
Second Temple period
Jewish Aramaic
qaddish
“Holy; sanctified.”
Late Antiquity
Aramaic
Qaddish
“A prayer of praise and sanctification recited in Jewish communal worship.”
Middle Ages
Hebrew/Aramaic
Kaddish
“A prayer increasingly connected with mourners and remembrance of the dead.”
Modern English
English
Kaddish
“A Jewish prayer praising God, especially the mourner’s prayer.”