Miqweh
/mɪkˈveɪ/noun
A Jewish ritual bath used for immersion, especially in contexts of religious purification and conversion.
Did you know?The Hebrew word miqweh originally meant a gathered body of water, while the related word tikvah means “hope,” both connected with the Hebrew root q-w-h.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מִקְוֶה (miqweh)
“A collection or gathering of water; later, a ritual pool”
Second Temple Period
Hebrew
miqweh
“A pool used for ritual immersion and purification”
2nd–6th Century
Rabbinic Hebrew
מִקְוֶה (miqveh)
“A legally defined ritual bath containing naturally gathered water”
Medieval Period
Hebrew/Yiddish
mikve
“A Jewish ritual bath”
19th Century
English
mikveh / miqweh
“A ritual immersion bath in Judaism”
Modern English
English
miqweh
“A variant transliteration of mikveh, referring to a Jewish ritual bath”