Main Entry: ¹bar mitz·vah

Pronunciation: \bär-ˈmits-və\

Function: noun

Usage: often capitalized B&M

Etymology: Hebrew bar miṣwāh, literally, son of the (divine) law

Date: 1816

1 : a Jewish boy who reaches his 13th birthday and attains the age of religious duty and responsibility
2 : the initiatory ceremony recognizing a boy as a bar mitzvah