Judaica
See also: judaica
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin iūdaica, neuter plural of iūdaicus (“Jewish”), from Hebrew יְהוּדָה (Yehuda, “Judah”). By surface analysis, Juda + -ica. Doublet of giudecca.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d͡ʒuˈdeɪ̯.ɪ.kə/
Noun
Judaica (uncountable)
- Artifacts, or less commonly, matters pertaining to the Jews, their culture or their religion, particularly ritual objects.
- 2002, Zadie Smith, The Autograph Man, Penguin Books (2003), page 32:
- ‘We were just talking about Josephʼs collection — about the Judaica.’
- 2025 February 1, Ross Douthat, “Looking for Faith? Here’s a Guide to Choosing a Religion.”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
- You could find crucifixes as well as crystals, Christian mysticism alongside astrological charts, Buddhist self-help and Judaica sharing shelf space with Wiccan texts, Bibles cheek by jowl with copies of “Women Who Run With the Wolves.”
Adjective
Judaica (not comparable)
- (very formal) Pertaining to the Jews, their culture or their religion.