Home » Dictionary » Hanukkah bush

Hanukkah bush

Hanukkah bush n. a small tree decorated by some (secular) Jews at the time of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, in imitation of the Yule or Christmas tree. Editorial Note: Alexander Tille in 1892 wrote in the article “German Christmas and the Christmas-Tree” in the journal Folklore (July 1892, vol. 3, no. 2, p. 170) that in Germany “the Christmas-tree has long since broken through the barrier of different creeds, and many Jewish families have adopted it to celebrate Yuletide.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 comments
  • No Anglophone dictionary-maker agrees with you about what is “correct.” Hannukah is the more common, most-often preferred form. Either one is a valid and acceptable transliteration of the Hebrew characters ×—× ×›×” or חנוכה.

Further reading

Dictionary-Lovers, Fast Friends

German filmmaker Werner Herzog is known for such documentaries as Grizzly Man and Fitzcarraldo. He’s also fascinated with what he calls “the limits of language,” as evident in his 1976 documentary how fast auctioneers can talk, How...

Loaded for Bear (episode #1531)

One way to make your new business look trendy is to use two nouns separated by an ampersand, like Peach & Creature or Rainstorm & Egg or … just about any other two-word combination. A tongue-in-cheek website will generate names like...

Recent posts