dybbuk

or dib·buk

[ Sephardic Hebrew dee-book; Ashkenazic Hebrew, English dib-uh k ]
/ Sephardic Hebrew diˈbuk; Ashkenazic Hebrew, English ˈdɪb ək /

noun, plural dyb·buks, dyb·bu·kim [Sephardic Hebrew dee-boo-keem; Ashkenazic Hebrew dih-boo k-im] /Sephardic Hebrew ˌdi buˈkim; Ashkenazic Hebrew dɪˈbʊk ɪm/. Jewish Folklore.

a demon, or the soul of a dead person, that enters the body of a living person and directs the person's conduct, exorcism being possible only by a religious ceremony.

Origin of dybbuk

1900–05; < Yiddish dibek < Hebrew dibbūq, derivative of dābhaq cleave (to); spelling dybbuk is a Pol transliteration of the Heb word

British Dictionary definitions for dybbuk

dybbuk
/ (ˈdɪbək, Hebrew diˈbuk) /

noun plural -buks or -bukkim (Hebrew -buˈkim)

Judaism (in the folklore of the cabala) the soul of a dead sinner that has transmigrated into the body of a living person

Word Origin for dybbuk

from Yiddish dibbūk devil, from Hebrew dibbūq; related to dābhaq to hang on, cling