To recite prayers or liturgy in Jewish tradition, especially the daily prayers or the Kaddish.
From Yiddish 'davnen' or Aramaic origins, possibly related to Old French 'devant' (before), as prayers are recited before God. The term entered English from Jewish communities.
The word 'daven' has no exact equivalent in English—it specifically means the rhythmic, swaying recitation of Hebrew prayers unique to Jewish religious practice, a whole spiritual gesture wrapped in one Yiddish verb!
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