Kippurim
/kɪˈpʊərɪm/noun
A Hebrew plural term meaning acts or rites of atonement, especially in the biblical expression Yom ha-Kippurim, the Day of Atonement.
Did you know?The Hebrew root K-P-R is traditionally associated with covering or wiping away, which may explain how the language connected atonement with removing or covering guilt.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*k-p-r
“A root associated in Semitic languages with covering, wiping, ransom, or expiation; its precise original sense is debated.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפֻּרִים (kippurim)
“Atonements or acts of expiation; the plural form appears in the phrase יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים, Yom ha-Kippurim.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפֶּר (kipper)
“To make atonement, purge, or expiate, especially through a ritual involving sacrifice or priestly action.”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
כִּפּוּר (kippur)
“Atonement or forgiveness, with the plural kippurim continuing in religious and liturgical usage.”
Modern English
English
Kippurim
“A transliterated Hebrew religious term used in scholarly, biblical, and Jewish liturgical contexts, most famously in Yom Kippur.”
Explore more surprising origins