dreidel
UK[ˈdreɪd(ə)l]US[ˈdreɪd(ə)l]
n
A four-sided spinning top, bearing Hebrew letters, used in a children's game traditionally played during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Etymology
The word 'dreidel' entered English from Yiddish 'dreydl', meaning 'a spinning top'. The Yiddish term itself derives from the German verb 'drehen', meaning 'to spin' or 'to turn'. This German root can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic 'þrēaną' and further to the Proto-Indo-European 'terh₁-', meaning 'to rub, turn, or drill', a root that also gives us the English word 'throw' in the sense of causing something to twist or turn. Thus, the word's journey from an ancient Indo-European concept of turning to a specific toy used in a modern cultural tradition illustrates a clear semantic link through the core idea of spinning.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword from Yiddish. It is not productively segmented into meaningful morphemes within English.
Examples
The children gathered to play with the dreidel after lighting the menorah.
Each side of the dreidel is marked with a different Hebrew letter.
He won a handful of chocolate coins by spinning the dreidel.