Sephardim

[ suh-fahr-dim, -fahr-deem ]
/ səˈfɑr dɪm, -fɑrˈdim /

plural noun, singular Se·phar·di [suh-fahr-dee, suh-fahr-dee] /səˈfɑr di, sə fɑrˈdi/.

Jews of Spain and Portugal or their descendants, distinguished from the Ashkenazim and other Jewish communities chiefly by their liturgy, religious customs, and pronunciation of Hebrew: after expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492, established communities in North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere.

Origin of Sephardim

1850–55; < Modern Hebrew Səphāraddīm, plural of Səphāraddī, equivalent to < Hebrew Səphāradh (region mentioned in Bible (Obadiah 20) and assumed to be Spain) + -ī suffix of appurtenance

OTHER WORDS FROM Sephardim

Se·phar·dic, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for sephardi

British Dictionary definitions for sephardi

Sephardi
/ (sɪˈfɑːdiː) /

noun plural -dim (-dɪm) Judaism

  1. a Jew of Spanish, Portuguese, or North African descent
  2. (loosely) any Oriental Jew
the pronunciation of Hebrew used by these Jews, and of Modern Hebrew as spoken in Israel
(modifier) of or pertaining to the Sephardim, esp to their liturgy and ritual
(modifier) of or pertaining to the liturgy adopted by certain European, esp Chassidic, communities who believe it to be more authentic but nonetheless differing from the genuine Oriental liturgy
Compare Ashkenazi

Derived forms of Sephardi

Sephardic, adjective

Word Origin for Sephardi

C19: from Late Hebrew, from Hebrew sepharad a region mentioned in Obadiah 20, thought to have been Spain