Definition

1. Noun:
   • (Judaism) A tallit; a shawl with a ritually knitted or knotted fringe (tzitzit) at each of its four corners, traditionally worn by Jewish men during morning prayers and certain other religious services.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He carefully wrapped himself in his tallis before beginning the morning prayers.
  • The silk tallis was a gift for his Bar Mitzvah.
  • The fringes on the tallis are a constant reminder of the commandments.

Advanced Usage

• "To don the tallis": To put on the prayer shawl as part of a ritual preparation for prayer.
  • He would don his tallis and tefillin every morning.
• "The corners of the tallis": Specifically refers to the parts where the tzitzit (ritual fringes) are attached.
  • He kissed the corners of his tallis after the prayer.

Variants and Related Words

• Tallit (n): The more common transliteration from Hebrew for the same prayer shawl. "Tallis" is often the Ashkenazi Hebrew/Yiddish pronunciation.
• Tzitzit (n): The knotted ritual fringes attached to the corners of the tallis.
• Arba kanfot (n): A smaller, poncho-like garment with tzitzit worn under clothing throughout the day.

Synonyms

• Prayer shawl: The direct descriptive English term.
• Tallith: An alternate spelling.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The entry references a second, unrelated definition: Thomas Tallis (c.1505–1585), an English Renaissance composer. This is a proper noun (a person's name) and is a homograph, not a different meaning of the word "tallis" as a common noun. In standard usage, "tallis" refers almost exclusively to the Jewish ritual garment. The composer is referred to by his full name, Thomas Tallis.

Noun

1. (Judaism) a shawl with a ritually knotted fringe at each corner; worn by Jews at morning prayer
2. English organist and composer of church and secular music; was granted a monopoly in music printing with William Byrd (1505-1585)