Definition of "shiva" [shiva]

• Judaism A seven-day period of formal mourning observed after the funeral of a close relative. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The Hebrew word "shiva" means seven and refers to the number of days the mourners are required to stay at home receiving visitors to pay their condolences."
• "Luckily I kept the fact that my suitcase was slightly -over- the weight limit on the way here in mind and only bought a small Christmas present for my mother and a small but cool stone called a shiva linga, which is a stone gathered in a special yearly ceremony from the Namada River."
• "She’s in shiva black and pearls, though she also appears on the screen, turned via photoshop into an ab-proud Pussycat dancer."