Kippah
/ˈkɪp.ə/noun
A small skullcap traditionally worn by Jewish men and, in many communities, by women as a sign of religious observance.
Did you know?The word refers to the cap’s rounded shape, while the practice of head covering has older Jewish precedents and is not derived solely from the modern term kippah.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפָּה (kippāh)
“A dome or rounded covering”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפָּה (kippāh)
“A domelike covering or small cap”
Medieval Jewish usage
Hebrew
כִּפָּה
“A religious head covering; the rounded form remained central to the word’s imagery”
19th–20th Century
Yiddish
קאַפּעלע (kapele) / כיפה
“A skullcap or small head covering in Jewish communities”
20th Century
English
kippah
“An English borrowing from Hebrew for the Jewish skullcap”
Modern English
English
kippah
“A small Jewish skullcap worn as a sign of religious observance”
Explore more surprising origins