shammes
/ˈʃɑːmɪs/
shammes is the alternative form of shamash.
Meaning of shamash
Noun
shamash (plural shamashim or shamashes)
- The candle used to light the other eight candles of a Hanukkah menorah or hanukkiah.
- The candelabras lit on Hanukkah are technically called hanukkiahs. They have eight candles plus one more, a shamash, that is used for lighting the others.2023 December 7, Jacey Fortin, “For Some, the Symbols of Hanukkah Bring Extra Concern This Year”, in The New York Times
- A sexton in a synagogue.
- Until 1890, when the local Chevra Kadisha (a traditional Jewish funerary society) was set up, funeral services were performed by the shamashim, the beadles of the synagogues.1997, Michael Stivelman, The Death March
Forms of shammes
| plural | shammosim |
|---|---|
| plural | shammeses |
| alternative form | shames |
Origin of shammes
From Yiddish שמשׂ (shames), from Hebrew שמש (shamásh). Doublet of shamash.
Questions about shammes
- What is shammes the alternative form of?
- Shammes is the alternative form of shamash.
- How do you pronounce shammes?
- Shammes is pronounced /ˈʃɑːmɪs/.
Words near shammes in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: shammes (page history and authors); shamash (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “shammes.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/shammes. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.