rabbi
1
[ rab-ahy ]
/ ˈræb aɪ /
noun, plural rab·bis.
the chief religious official of a synagogue, trained usually in a theological seminary and duly ordained, who delivers the sermon at a religious service and performs ritualistic, pastoral, educational, and other functions in and related to his or her capacity as a spiritual leader of Judaism and the Jewish community.
Compare cantor(def 2).
a title of respect for a Jewish scholar or teacher.
a Jewish scholar qualified to rule on questions of Jewish law.
any of the Jewish scholars of the 1st to 6th centuries a.d. who contributed to the writing, editing, or compiling of the Talmud.
Slang.
a personal patron or adviser, as in business.
Origin of rabbi
1
1250–1300; Middle English
rabi (< Old French
rab(b)i) < Late Latin
rabbī < Greek
rhabbí < Hebrew
rabbī my master (
rabh master +
-ī my)
Words nearby rabbi
rabbath ammon,
rabbet,
rabbet joint,
rabbet plane,
rabbeting,
rabbi,
rabbin,
rabbinate,
rabbinic,
rabbinical,
rabbinics
Definition for rabbi (2 of 2)
Origin of rabbi
2
by alteration
Example sentences from the Web for rabbi
British Dictionary definitions for rabbi
rabbi
/ (ˈræbaɪ) /
noun plural -bis
(in Orthodox Judaism) a man qualified in accordance with traditional religious law to expound, teach, and rule in accordance with this law
the religious leader of a congregation; the minister of a synagogue
the Rabbis
the early Jewish scholars whose teachings are recorded in the Talmud
See also
Rav
Word Origin for rabbi
Hebrew, from
rabh master +
-ī my