What does the Hebrew word 'Hanukkah' mean?

The Hebrew word “Hanukkah” means “Dedication.”

The name refers to the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after Jewish rebels, led by the Maccabees, recaptured it from the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE. The festival begins on the 25th day of Kislev and traditionally lasts eight nights.

Hanukkah’s name comes from the Hebrew root חנך (ḥ-n-k), associated with dedicating or inaugurating something. That is why the holiday is also closely linked with the Temple’s renewed service and the lighting of its menorah. A later rabbinic tradition additionally tells of a small amount of oil lasting eight days.

A common mix-up is choosing “Miracle” or “Light,” because both ideas are strongly associated with Hanukkah. They describe important themes of the holiday, but they are not the literal meaning of its name.