What does dibbuk mean?
A dibbuk is a figure from Jewish folklore: the wandering soul of a dead person that takes possession of a living body, typically because it has unfinished business or unresolved sins from life. The concept flourished in Eastern European Hasidic tradition, where possession by a dibbuk was treated as both affliction and spiritual drama — the remedy being exorcism performed by a learned rabbi. The word entered Western awareness largely through Yiddish theatre, most famously S. Ansky's 1914 play The Dybbuk, which fixed the spelling and made the term familiar far beyond Jewish communities. In modern usage it appears in discussions of folklore, horror fiction, and film, and it is sometimes applied figuratively to an obsessive thought or memory that will not release its grip. Its spellings — dibbuk, dybbuk, dibuk — all denote the same entity.
nounIn Jewish folklore, the restless soul of a dead person that enters and possesses the body of a living person, usually to fulfil an unfinished purpose or because of unfinished business in life.
- The malevolent spirit of a deceased person believed in Jewish folklore to enter and possess the body of a living human being.
"The rabbi was summoned to perform an exorcism after villagers became convinced a dibbuk had taken hold of the young man."
"Legend held that only a righteous rabbi could drive the dibbuk out before it consumed its host entirely."
"Her grandmother spoke of a dibbuk clinging to their family's old house, refusing to move on."
English texts overwhelmingly prefer the regular plural; the Hebrew-style plural appears mainly in scholarly or traditional contexts.
"Medieval tales are full of dibbuks seeking hosts among the living."
The word comes straight from a Hebrew verb meaning 'to cling' — a spirit that literally refuses to let go.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dibbuk
Dibbuk derives from Hebrew and Yiddish דיבוק, meaning 'attachment' or 'clinging', formed on the Semitic root d-b-q meaning 'to adhere' or 'to cling'. The term spread through Yiddish-speaking Eastern Europe in the early twentieth century, popularised especially by S. Ansky's play The Dybbuk (1914). English cognates sharing the same root include the Hebrew religious term devekut ('devotion', literally 'clinging to God').
How dibbuk is actually used
The word carries strong associations with Yiddish literature and Eastern European Jewish folklore; spellings vary widely (dibbuk, dybbuk, dibuk), with "dybbuk" now the most frequent in English print. It is used literally when discussing folklore or fiction, and occasionally figuratively for an obsessive idea or haunting memory.
Easily confused with dibbuk
"Dybbuk" is merely the more common English spelling of the same word; "dibbuk" is a variant transliteration with no difference in meaning.