halitzah
/xəˈliːt͡sə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A rite by which a widow absolves herself of the duty of levirate marriage. It involves making a declaration, removing a shoe, and spitting on the floor.
Example Sentences
- "Halitzah carries with it the implication of shame on the male who by refusing to marry his sister-in-law is guilty of not fulfilling his obligation to his dead brother and his dead brother's estate."
- "To discourage sexual attraction between brothers and sisters-in-law, later Jewish law expressed a clear preference for ḥalitzah (the ritual of the sandal) rather than levirate marriage."
Etymology
Inflected Forms
halitzot (plural)
chalitza (alternative)
chalitzah (alternative)
chalizah (alternative)
halizah (alternative)
halisah (alternative)
khalitzah (alternative)