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The origin of the word macabre is controversial. Several sources, including the Larousse and the Oxford dictionaries, trace it to macabee, with reference to the slaughter perpetrated by these Jewish fighters against the Hellenistic priests while purifying the Jerusalem temple. However, a much more sensible interpretation is that it derives from the Arabic word Maqaber -- the plural of Maqbara - cemetary. Thus Dance Macabre, which is the most common and probably original expression employing the word, simply means dance of the cemetaries
Arielh (talk) 17:05, 16 July 2008 (UTC)Reply
