Etymology

haftarah

H4A1F4T1A1R1A1H4

Today it means: A selection from the books of Nevi'im and Ketuvim of the Tanach, usually corresponding to the week's parashah, publicly read in synagogue following the parashah. Full definition →

Hebrew הַפְטָרָה ← Yiddish הפֿטרה
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The story

  1. Yiddish · derived fromהפֿטרה
  2. Hebrew · derived fromהַפְטָרָה
  3. English todayHaftarah

From Hebrew הַפְטָרָה (haftará), also through Yiddish הפֿטרה (haftore). The alternative spellings with -or- and pronunciations with /ɔːɹ/ – which may appear even outside of Ashkenazi pronunciation traditions – may possibly be strengthened due to influence from Torah or reanalysis to half + Torah, as the haftarah follows the reading of the Torah and is of secondary importance.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.