What does dibbukkim mean?
Dibbukkim is the plural of dybbuk, a word from Jewish folklore denoting the restless spirit of a dead person that takes possession of a living human being. In Kabbalistic tradition, such spirits are those of the wicked or unresolved dead who, unable to pass on, cling to a host until driven out by ritual exorcism performed by a righteous authority, often a rabbi versed in mystical practice. The concept became widely known outside Jewish communities through S. Ansky's celebrated Yiddish play The Dybbuk (1914-1920) and has since become a staple of horror fiction and film, notably inspiring the modern legend of the so-called dybbuk box. In contemporary usage, dibbukkim appears chiefly in literary, scholarly, or deliberately traditional contexts, where writers prefer the authentic Hebrew plural over the anglicized dybbuks. The word evokes possession, clinging attachment, and the boundary between the living and the dead.
nounDibbukkim is the plural of dybbuk: in Jewish folklore, a malevolent spirit of a dead person that possesses the body of a living person.
- In Jewish folklore, plural of dybbuk: malevolent spirits of dead persons that enter and possess the bodies of the living.
"The old tales warned that dibbukkim were drawn to the living who left their souls unguarded."
"According to the legend, the village rabbi was famed for driving out dibbukkim from the afflicted."
"The film drew on the old belief that dibbukkim cling to sinners rather than depart to their appointed place."
This is already a plural form (of dybbuk); it has no further plural. A single spirit is called a dybbuk (also spelled dibbuk).
"The exorcism rite was said to be effective against all manner of dibbukkim."
A dybbuk is a lost soul that refuses to move on — and dibbukkim is what you call them when they show up in numbers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dibbukkim
Dybbuk comes from the Hebrew verb root d-b-q meaning 'to cling' or 'to adhere', via Yiddish, reflecting the belief that the spirit clings to its victim. The Hebrew plural dibbukkim preserves this Semitic inflection. Closely related Hebrew terms sharing the same root include devek ('adhesion') and devequt, a devotional term for spiritual cleaving to God.
Related word forms
How dibbukkim is actually used
Dibbukkim is the Hebrew-style plural of dybbuk; the anglicized plural dybbuks is far more common in everyday English. The word appears mainly in discussions of Jewish mysticism, folklore, literature, and popular culture, and carries an eerie or supernatural connotation.
Easily confused with dibbukkim
Dybbuk is the singular form for one possessing spirit, while dibbukkim is its plural, denoting more than one such spirit.