Jewish festival on the 14th of Adar (in commemoration of the defeat of Haman's plot), late 14c., from Hebrew purim, literally "lots" (plural of pur), identified with haggoral "the lot" (Esther iii:7, ix:24), perhaps from Akkadian puru "stone, urn," "which itself is prob. a loan word from Sumeric bur" [Klein].
