Skip to content
Vinony

Shiva

proper noun

  1. Hindu god
  2. mourning period in Judaism
  3. male given name
L497965 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈʃiːvə/ / /ˈʃɪvə/

name

Etymology: Borrowed from Sanskrit शिव (śivá, “the auspicious one”).

  1. The god of destruction and transformation, and together with Brahma and Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. Within Shaivism he is viewed as the Supreme deity, whereas in other branches of Hinduism such as the Smarta tradition he is worshipped as one of the six manifestations of the Divine.

    “The later Bhaumas who were originally Buddhists became worshippers of Siva as is known from their inscriptions.”

  2. A male given name from Sanskrit used in India.

noun

Etymology: From Hebrew שִׁבְעָה (shiv'á, “seven”), referring to the number of days that shiva spans.

  1. A weeklong period of formal mourning for a close relative.

    “Did you know that some parents sit shiva […] for 30 days if their child is discovered to be gay?”

    “Seymour: Audrey, quick! We've got to do an emergency [flower] arrangement. […] Mr. Mushnik: The Shivas are our most important funereal account. A big, enormous family, they're dropping off like flies!”