gilgul
[ Sephardic Hebrew geel-gool; Ashkenazic Hebrew gil-goo l ]
/ Sephardic Hebrew gilˈgul; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˈgɪl gʊl /
noun, plural gil·gu·lim [Sephardic Hebrew geel-goo-leem; Ashkenazic Hebrew gil-goo-lim] /Sephardic Hebrew gil guˈlim; Ashkenazic Hebrew gɪlˈgu lɪm/. Jewish Folklore.
the soul of a dead person that passes into another living body to assume a new existence and atone for past sins.
Compare
dybbuk.
Origin of gilgul
< Yiddish
gilgl literally, transmigration, metamorphosis < Hebrew
gilgul metamorphosis, literally, rolling, revolving