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There are many theories about the etymology of the word davnen, which means to pray. Some say that it is:

  • from the Aramaic "d'avhatana" דאבהת×?א (or d'avunon דאבו×?ן) , meaning "from our Forefathers."
  • from Hebrew "daf" דף , meaning "page", so that "dafnen" would mean "to turn the pages."
  • Some say that "daven" originally meant to say the morning prayer, and hence look either to the English "dawn" or to Middle High German for "tagewen", meaning "to do one's morning obligation" or "digen" meaning "to request."
  • from the Arabic "da'awa", meaning "to pray"
  • the Lithuanian word "davana", meaning gift
  • from Middle High German "doenen", meaning to sing
  • from the Hebrew "davav" דבב , generally translated as "to move the lips" or "to speak."
  • from the Old French "divin", which means "relating to the divine."

There are other theories that the word comes from Greek or Turkish.

Many Yiddish scholars simply say that the origin of davenis unknown.

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Q: What is the origin of the yiddish term Davnen?
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