What does dybbuk mean?
A dybbuk is, in Jewish folklore and Kabbalistic tradition, the soul of a dead person that takes possession of a living human being. The possessing spirit typically seeks to complete some unfinished business or to fulfill a vow left unkept in life, and possession is often depicted as causing distress, strange speech, or altered behavior until the soul can be released — traditionally through exorcism rites performed by a righteous rabbi. The word comes from Yiddish, borrowed from Hebrew dibbuq, meaning 'attachment' or 'cleaving', from a root meaning 'to cling'. It gained international fame through S. An-sky's celebrated Yiddish play 'The Dybbuk' (first staged in 1920), which dramatized a dybbuk entering a young bride on her wedding day. Today the term is used both literally, in discussions of folklore and mysticism, and figuratively, for any obsessive or tormenting influence that refuses to release its grip on a person.
nounIn Jewish folklore, the soul of a dead person that enters and possesses a living human being, usually to accomplish some unfinished purpose or because of unfinished business. By extension, an obsessive or tormenting influence.
- The soul of a dead person that enters and possesses a living human, per Jewish folklore.
- Figuratively, an obsessive or haunting influence that clings to someone.
"The rabbi was summoned to perform the rite that would expel the dybbuk from the young bride."
"Villagers believed the girl spoke with her grandfather's voice because a dybbuk had entered her body."
"His regret over the unsent letter became a kind of dybbuk, possessing him for decades."
English texts commonly use the anglicized plural 'dybbuks'; the Hebrew-style plural 'dybbukim' appears in more traditional or scholarly contexts.
"Tales of dybbuks were told throughout the shtetls of Eastern Europe."
A dybbuk isn't a demon at all — it's the restless soul of a dead person who simply refuses to leave, and it inspired one of the most famous plays of the Yiddish theater.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dybbuk
The word 'dybbuk' entered English through Yiddish, ultimately deriving from the Hebrew noun dibbuq, meaning 'attachment' or 'act of clinging', formed from the Hebrew root dalet-bet-qof meaning 'to adhere' or 'to cling'. The concept itself is rooted in Kabbalistic thought of the medieval period, though the specific term became widespread in Eastern European Jewish communities in the early modern era. Related Hebrew derivatives include devekut, denoting spiritual communion with God, which shares the same root sense of clinging or attachment.
How dybbuk is actually used
The word carries strong associations with Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) and Eastern European folklore; it is also widely known through S. An-sky's 1914 play 'The Dybbuk'. In figurative modern use it suggests an obsession that will not let go. The plural is either dybbuks or dybbukim (Hebrew-style).
Easily confused with dybbuk
A ghoul is a demon or monster in Arabic folklore that robs graves and feeds on corpses, whereas a dybbuk is specifically the dislocated soul of a deceased person that inhabits a living body.