Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A toy similar to a spinning top used in games of chance played by children and adults at Hanukkah.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. a toy shaped somewhat like a top, but having four flat sides, each marked with one of the Hebrew letters
nun ,gimel ,he , orshin . It is spun like a top, and the letter showing when it stops spinning determines the outcome of a game of chance. - n. a game of chance played with a dreidel{1}, most commonly by children at Hannukah.
Etymologies
- Yiddish dreydl, from dreyen, to turn, from Middle High German dræjen, from Old High German drāen.
Examples
“Greg Berger designed the background and the dreidel is a picture of an actual one that was purchased in Jerusalem, taken by Elise Moore.”
Since we were all so worried about being forced to use Xmas stamps… | Jewschool
“But the best-known game involves a four-sided top called a dreidel, patterned after an old German game.”
“The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, the favorite child's toy during Chanukah.”
“Playing with the dreidel is a traditional Hanukkah game played in Jewish homes all over the world, and rules may vary.”
“A dreidel is a four sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side.”
“A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side.”
“These letters mean "A Great Miracle Happened There" In Israel the dreidel is a bit different-their letters mean "A Miracle Happened HERE!”
“I searched on "dreidel" and got a column of dreidels.”
“I imagined millions of other children learning the same way that many of theircelebrity idols spun the Hanukkah dreidel, just like they did.”
The Huffington Post: Jonathan Miller: How Adam Sandler's 'Chanukah Song' Helped Save The Jews
“Luckily (with a gimel spin of the dreidel), due to a recent change in the law in the state of Michigan, this will be the second year in decades that it will be legal for bars to be open and serving alcohol (with a special license) on Christmas Day evening.”
The Huffington Post: Rachel Winer: Festivus! For the Rest of Us
treeseed Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun
Etymology: Yiddish dreydl, from dreyen to turn, from Middle High German drǣjen, from Old High German dr�?en — more at throw
Date: 1916
1 : a 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top in a game of chance
2 : a children's game of chance played especially at Hanukkah with a dreidel
See teetotum Jan 30, 2008