Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun plural The knotted tassels of thread, symbolizing the 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures, attached to the corners of a tallit or other garment.
  • noun plural An undergarment bearing these tassels, worn by men or boys. Used with a singular verb.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The knotted fringes of the tallit.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Hebrew ṣîṣīt, tassel, fringe; see ṣy in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Hebrew ציצית‎

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Examples

  • In fact, Iranian Jews use the Hebrew word "tzitzit" to describe the Jewish prayer shawl.

    Reports of Ahmadinegad's Jewish past, a hoax 2009

  • Light will cast the shadow of the stripes onto the sidewalk, creating a sense of occasion, welcoming visitors, and evoking the fringe of a tallit prayer shawl, known as the tzitzit.

    A Synagogue for the Young 2011

  • The night I came up with my now infamous kaffieyh tzitzit aka tallit kattan shel Shabbatai Tzvi one of the thoughts that crossed my mind was to create a blue and white kaffieyh laden with Magen Davids instead of black diamonds.

    The Kaffiyeh Yisraelit | Jewschool 2006

  • Volunteer divers collect ink from snails off the coast of Israel and produce sky-blue tekhelet to dye string that is woven into the ritual prayer tassels known as tzitzit, hoping to reclaim an ancient tradition.

    NYT > Home Page By DINA KRAFT 2011

  • He wore a black skullcap and the ritual fringes called tzitzit; he wore the Super Bowl ring he won in 1992 with the Dallas Cowboys and the Rolex watch that was a gift from Emmitt Smith, the team's star running back.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • He wore a black skullcap and the ritual fringes called tzitzit; he wore the Super Bowl ring he won in 1992 with the Dallas Cowboys and the Rolex watch that was a gift from Emmitt Smith, the team's star running back.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • If you want pretty colors, but aren’t into the techelet thing, you can always do Rambam tzitzit, which is to say, dye your tzitzit and tallit the same color.

    DIY mitzvah gear - Danya Ruttenberg 2005

  • As I waited at a red light, I was shoaled by a young gentleman with visible tzitzit.

    BSNYC Friday Fun Culture Summit! BikeSnobNYC 2010

  • They walk with Yarmulkes held high and tzitzit waving in the streets.

    Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: On Nixon's Allegation That the Jews Have No Pride Rabbi Shmuley Boteach 2010

  • They walk with Yarmulkes held high and tzitzit waving in the streets.

    Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: On Nixon's Allegation That the Jews Have No Pride Rabbi Shmuley Boteach 2010

Comments

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  • The fringes or tassels worn on traditional or ceremonial garments by Jewish males as reminders of the commandments of Deuteronomy 22:12 and Num 15:37–41

    November 18, 2007

  • No pronunciation available.

    April 24, 2018