yahrtzeit

Noun

yahrzeit (plural yahrzeits)

1. (Judaism) The anniversary of a person's death, usually a parent's, often marked by the lighting of a memorial candle and other rituals.
   • "Yahrzeit" (year's time) is the anniversary of the parent's death. On the evening preceding, a light is kindled in the house, and kept burning until the following sundown. Synagogue service in the morning and evening is also attended, and the kaddish recited. "Nahala" (inheritance) is the poetic...1892 February, Richard Wheatley, “The Jews in New York.—II.”, in The Century Illustrated Magazine, volume XLIII, number 4, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co.; London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, →OCLC, page...