omer

See also: Omer and Ömer

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Biblical Hebrew עומר / עֹמֶר ('ómer, sheaf).

Noun

omer (plural omers)

  1. (historical units of measure) A former small Hebrew unit of dry volume equal to about 2.3 L or 2.1 quarts.
    • 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica:
      ...that Omer which was every mans daily portion of Manna, is computed to have bin more then might have well suffic'd the heartiest feeder thrice as many meals.
    • 1769, Bible (KJV), Exodus XVI:
      And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
  2. A vessel of one omer.
  3. (Judaism) The sheaf of barley offered on the second day of Passover.
Usage notes

In English, sometimes confounded with the much larger homer.

Alternative forms
  • (small unit of volume): gomer (archaic)
  • (sheaf of barley): Omer
Synonyms
Meronyms

Etymology 2

Short for Sefirat Ha'Omer.

Noun

omer (uncountable)

  1. (Judaism) The counting of the omer, that is, the period of 49 days between Passover and Shavuot.

References

  • "omer, n.", in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • "H6016: `omer" in James Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
  • "Weights and Measures" at Oxford Biblical Studies Online

Anagrams

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