shiva
part of speech
proper noun (Shiva, Hindu god); noun (shiva, in «sit shiva» — Jewish mourning, also spelt shivah)
meaning for a pupil
1) (religion) Shiva is one of the most important gods in Hinduism; Hindus believe he is both a destroyer and a renewer, and he is often shown dancing or meditating with a snake round his neck. tree →
2) (Jewish life) Shiva is the seven days of mourning after a close relative dies, when the family stays at home and friends visit; people say they «sit shiva». tree →
3) Shiva is also a name for people. tree →
sense in the lessons
In religious education lessons Shiva is one of the three main gods (with Brahma and Vishnu) and is worshipped at the festival of Maha Shivaratri. In lessons on Jewish life, sitting shiva shows how a community comforts a family after a death. It is not an English word in origin: the god comes from Sanskrit, the mourning word from Hebrew «seven».
examples
- Hindus believe Shiva destroys the old so that new things can be created. tree →
- The statue showed Shiva dancing inside a ring of fire. tree →
- Many Hindus visit Shiva's temples at Maha Shivaratri. tree →
- When Rachel's grandad died, her family sat shiva for seven days. tree →
- Neighbours brought food to the house during shiva. tree →
- People cover mirrors in the house while they sit shiva. tree →
- Shiva is a popular name in India. tree →
- Our father was a sacred bull of Shiva. tree →
note
The Hindu god is written with a capital S (Shiva). The Jewish mourning word is small (shiva or shivah). Speak about both respectfully: «Hindus believe…», «Jewish families…». Not used in maths.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «shiva» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.