yahrzeit

Meaning

Noun

• The anniversary of a person's death, usually a parent's, often marked by the lighting of a memorial candle and other rituals.

Origin

• Borrowed from Yiddish יאָרצײַט, from Middle High German jārzīt; from Middle High German jār (from Old High German jār, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ ("year")) + Middle High German zīt (from Old High German zīt, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dī-). The Yiddish word is cognate with German Jahreszeit, which heavily influenced the spelling and pronunciation once the word was borrowed into English. yeartide.