noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ɡɛˈniːzə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ɡɛˈnizə/
rhymes with -iːzə
1
noun
Meaning 1
A depository where sacred Hebrew books or other sacred items that by Jewish law cannot be disposed of are kept before they can be properly buried in a cemetery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Jewish
Topics: law
Examples
The Cairo Genizah was discovered in 1896.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Hebrew גְּנִיזָה (g'nizá, “archiving, preservation, storage; hiding; genizah”) (plural גְּנִיזוֹת (g'nizót)), from Old Persian *ganzam, from Old Median *ganǰam (“depository; treasure”).
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
جنيزا
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Arabic:
الجنيزا
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Armenian:
գենիզա
(geniza)
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Catalan:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Czech:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Dutch:
genizah
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Esperanto:
genizo
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
French:
gueniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
German:
Geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Hebrew:
גְּנִיזָה
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Hungarian:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Italian:
ghenizah
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Japanese:
ゲニザ
(geniza)
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Lombard:
ghenizah
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Polish:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Portuguese:
genizah
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Russian:
гениза
(geniza)
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Serbo-Croatian:
гениза
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Spanish:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Swedish:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Turkish:
geniza
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
Urdu:
مدفن
— depository where sacred Hebrew books, etc., are kept before being buried in a cemetery
