menorah

noun

1. a candelabrum having seven branches (as used in the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem), or any number of branches (as used in modern synagogues).
2. a candelabrum having nine branches, for use on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

noun Judaism

1. a seven-branched candelabrum used in the Temple and now an emblem of Judaism and the badge of the state of Israel
2. a candelabrum having eight branches and a shammes that is lit during the festival of Hanukkah

n.1886, from Hebrew menorah “candlestick,” from Semitic stem n-w-r “to give light, shine” (cf. Arabic nar “fire,” manarah “candlestick, lighthouse, tower of a mosque,” see minaret). A nine-branched candelabrum used during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The center candle, or “starter,” is used to light the other eight candles, with one additional candle lit on each subsequent evening of the celebration.