The book containing the curse of shadows and thorns is a legendary and mysterious tome that has captivated the imaginations of many throughout history. Rumored to hold dark and ominous secrets, it is said to possess the power to inflict a curse upon its readers. The curse of shadows and thorns is said to bring about eternal suffering and torment, with the shadows haunting the afflicted and the thorns piercing their very souls. Legend has it that the curse was sealed within the pages of the book by an ancient sorcerer, who sought to protect others from the malevolent forces contained within. The curse is activated when the book is read aloud, with the words spoken invoking the wrath of the shadows and thorns. The exact details of the curse vary depending on the source, with some claiming it causes physical pain while others say it torments the mind.

yarmulke

Borrowed from Yiddish יאַרמלקע‎ ( yarmlke ) , from Polish jarmułka ( “ skullcap ” ) or a Ukrainian cognate of the same. Possibly from the Turkish yağmurluk ( “ rainwear ” ) , though it could also be from Medieval Latin almutia ( “ hood, cowl ” ) (compare Latin amictus ( “ clothed, veiled ” ) ).

Pronunciation [ edit ]

• ( UK ) IPA (key) : /ˈjɑːməlkə/
• ( US ) IPA (key) : /ˈjɑ(ɹ)mə(l)kə/

Noun [ edit ]

yarmulke (plural yarmulkes)

A skullcap worn by religiousJewish males (especially during prayer). [from 1903] Synonyms: kippah , kappel , skullcap

1991 October 1, Richard Goldstein, “The New Anti-Semitism: A Geshrei”, in Village Voice ‎ [1] , page 33 :

And I always feel uncomfortable dur­ing the High Holy Days watching people in yarmulkes rushing through the streets, knowing they’ll be swaying and moaning something ancient and indecipherable, even to me.

But once Dr. Levenson, who works for the Indian Health Service and wears a colorful tapestry yarmulke, has alerted the tiny network, it almost seems as if we have stepped into Yiddishland.

Translations [ edit ]

• Arabic: قُبَّة ‎ f ( qubba ) , كِبَّة ‎ f ( kibba )
• Belarusian: ярмо́лка f ( jarmólka )
• Bulgarian: ермо́лка f ( ermólka )
• Chinese: Mandarin: 卡巴 ( kǎbā )
• Czech: kipa f , jarmulka f
• Esperanto: kipao
• Finnish: kipa(fi)
• French: kippa(fr) f
• German: Jarmulke(de) f
• Greek: σκούφος(el) m ( skoúfos )
• Hebrew: כִּפָּה ‎ (he) f ( kipá )
• Hungarian: kipa(hu) , jarmulke
• Indonesian: kippah
• Italian: kippah(it) f
• Japanese: キッパー ( kippā ) , キッパ ( kippa ) , ヤムルカ ( yamuruka )
• Korean: 키파 ( kipa ) , 야물커 ( yamulkeo )
• Macedonian: јармулка f ( jarmulka )
• Malay: kippah
• Persian: کیپا ‎ (fa) ( kipâ ) , یاماکا ‎ ( yâmâkâ )
• Polish: jarmułka(pl) f
• Portuguese: quipá(pt) m or f
• Russian: ермо́лка(ru) f ( jermólka ) , кипа́(ru) f ( kipá )
• Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: јарму̀лка f Roman: jarmùlka(sh) f
• Slovak: kipa f , jarmulka f
• Slovene: jarmulka f
• Spanish: kipá(es) f
• Swedish: kippa(sv) c
• Tagalog: kipa
• Turkish: kipa(tr) , kippa , yarmulke
• Ukrainian: ярму́лка(uk) f ( jarmúlka )
• Yiddish: יאַרמלקע ‎ f ( yarmlke )

References [ edit ]

• Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 10th Edition (1997)
  
• “yarmulke”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged , Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

• English terms borrowed from Yiddish
• English terms derived from Yiddish
• English terms derived from Polish
• English terms derived from Ukrainian
• English terms derived from Turkish
• English terms derived from Medieval Latin
• English 3-syllable words
• English terms with IPA pronunciation
• English terms with audio links
• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• English terms with quotations
• en:Headwear
• en:Judaism
• en:Religion

• Word of the day archive
• English entries with topic categories using raw markup
• Terms with redundant transliterations
• Terms with redundant transliterations/cmn

Yarmulke.

The esteemed ktschwarz, who is doing an admirable job of paying attention to OED updates, writes at Wordorigins:

Yarmulke was briefly mentioned in the old thread on 1903 words. It’s from Yiddish, which got it from Polish, but where did Polish get it? (Note that while the Jewish practice of wearing religious headgear is older, the association of the word yarmulke specifically with Jews is surprisingly recent, only since the 19th century.) […] That Turkish origin is repeated in many English dictionaries. It’s not unprecedented: in the 17th century the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had a border with the Ottoman Empire, fought a series of wars with it, and absorbed some Turkish words into Polish. However, in 2019 the OED revised yarmulke and decisively rejected the Turkish origin, choosing an origin from Latin instead. Here’s what they say:

Etymology: < Yiddish yarmolke, probably ultimately < post-classical Latin almucia, armutia hood, cape (see amice n.²), via Polish jamuɫka, jarmuɫka skullcap (mid 15th cent. in Old Polish as jaɫmurka, jeɫmunka, with an apparent extension by -ka, a Polish suffix forming nouns).
For borrowings of the Latin word into other languages, compare also mutch n. and perhaps mozetta n.

Compare Russian ermolka (1800 or earlier), Ukrainian jarmulka, jarmurka, Belarusian jarmolka, all in the sense ‘skullcap’, all probably < Polish.

An alternative suggestion, deriving the Polish and Yiddish words, via the East Slavonic languages (compare Old Russian emurluk′′ raincoat (1674)) < Ottoman Turkish yağmurlyk raincoat (see gambalocke n.), poses formal, semantic, and chronological problems.

Unfortunately, the OED doesn’t give sources (this is high on my list of things they should be doing for all difficult etymologies!), but Google found some publications in 2013 and 2015 by a Polish Turkologist and a Latinist that they were probably relying on. (If you sense David L. Gold’s hand in this, you are right: apparently he’d been trying for decades to get the attention of Polish scholars.) Some are in English and some in Polish; assuming DeepL has given me the gist of the Polish, the reasons for rejecting Turkish are:

• Chronological: Polish jaɫmurka in the sense ‘cap’ is attested from the mid-1400s, too early for significant Polish-Ottoman contact.
• Formal: The addition of j- at the beginning is consistent with other Polish borrowings from Latin, and the addition of the Polish noun-forming suffix -ka is also consistent with other Polish headgear names. However, in the 15th century the gh was still pronounced in Turkish (a voiced velar fricative), so if the word came from Turkish then the Poles would have represented that sound in writing, as, e.g., the Italians did when they first wrote down iogurt in the Latin alphabet. But there’s no trace of it in Polish.
• Semantic: The Latin word already meant ‘hood, cape’; a shift from ‘raincoat’ to ‘hat’ is not impossible, but there’s no evidence that the word ever meant that in Polish. […]

The bad news is, don’t expect to see this revision in any other dictionaries besides the OED and maybe Wiktionary; all the others are just going to keep copying the same old material, because they no longer have any staff to update it. (Well, maybe Merriam-Webster, if Jim Rader is still there; he’s discovered a few new etymologies in the not-too-distant past — everybody reading this site should buy Kory Stamper’s Word by Word and read the cool story about the strange origin of chaus in a misspelling! However, I don’t expect them to keep up with the literature at this level of detail.) If this had come out ten years earlier, I’m sure American Heritage would have updated it, but, well, too late now.

I would never have expected to see Latin supplying an etymon for this word!

yarmulke

From Yiddish יאַרמלקע (yarmlke), from the Polish jarmułka ("skullcap"). This is probably from the Turkish yağmurluk ("rainwear"). The term is known from 1903.

The exact details of the curse vary depending on the source, with some claiming it causes physical pain while others say it torments the mind. Many have attempted to locate and study the book, their curiosity and desire for knowledge overpowering the warnings of its dangers. Some believe that unlocking the secrets of the curse could lead to great power and understanding, while others are simply drawn to the forbidden and unknown.

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However, the true nature of the book remains shrouded in mystery. Some believe that the curse of shadows and thorns is nothing more than a myth, a cautionary tale passed down through generations. Others claim to have seen the effects of the curse firsthand, with its victims left trapped in a world of darkness and agony. Regardless of its reality, the legend of the book containing the curse of shadows and thorns serves as a reminder of the power and consequences of forbidden knowledge. It is a cautionary tale that warns against the pursuit of power without consideration for the potential consequences. The allure of the unknown may be enticing, but it is important to proceed with caution and respect for the forces that lie beyond our understanding..

Reviews for "Sorcery and Secrets: Decoding the Curse of Shadows and Thorns in the Book"

1. Karen - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Book containing the curse of shadows and thorns" after reading the intriguing synopsis, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The pacing was incredibly slow, and it took me forever to get into the story. Additionally, the characters felt flat and one-dimensional, making it difficult for me to connect with them. I was also disappointed with the lack of originality in the plot. It felt like I had read similar stories before, and there were no surprising or unique elements to keep me engaged. Overall, I found this book to be a letdown and not worth the hype.

2. Mike - 2/5 stars - I found "Book containing the curse of shadows and thorns" to be overly complicated and convoluted. The writing style was dense and unnecessarily verbose, making it hard to follow the story. The author seemed more focused on using complex language rather than creating a clear and engaging narrative. Moreover, the world-building felt underdeveloped, leaving me with more questions than answers. The excessive descriptions of minor details bogged down the plot and made it difficult to stay invested. I struggled to finish this book and wouldn't recommend it to others who prefer a more straightforward and coherent storytelling style.

3. Sarah - 3/5 stars - "Book containing the curse of shadows and thorns" had an interesting premise, but the execution fell short for me. The writing was decent, but the pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. The characters were somewhat likable, but I didn't feel a strong connection to any of them. The plot had potential, but it lacked depth and complexity. I wanted more emotional depth and unexpected twists to keep me on the edge of my seat. While this book wasn't terrible, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me either.

Pages of Peril: Exposing the Curse of Shadows and Thorns