plural minyanim
ˌmin-yə-ˈnēm 
or minyans
or minyans
: the quorum required for Jewish communal worship that consists of ten male adults in Orthodox Judaism and usually ten adults of either sex in Conservative and Reform Judaism
Examples of minyan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By the 1980s, most of L.A.'s Jews had moved west, to the Fairfax district or the Westside, or to the San Fernando Valley, and Boyle Heights’ last synagogue had a hard time mustering a minyan, the quorum of 10 required for a service.
—
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2022
The struggle to gather 10 Jewish men to form a prayer quorum known as a minyan is part of life for many small Jewish communities in Europe.
—Cnaan Liphshiz, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2022
Chabad offers a minyan every Shabbat and encourages the community to celebrate the holidays together.
—Caleb A. Guedes-Reed, sun-sentinel.com, 31 Mar. 2021
Reading from the Torah and saying certain prayers, including the kaddish, or mourner’s prayer, must take place in a group with a quorum of 10, known as a minyan.
—Religion News Service, oregonlive, 25 Mar. 2022
Without enough Jews to fulfill a minyan, or Jewish prayer group of 10 men, the building is now a trendy coffee shop.
—Jordyn Haime, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2021
With about a dozen members, the Jews of Vidin can barely form a minyan.
—Jonah Goldman Kay, sun-sentinel.com, 11 Aug. 2021
This little shul, literally risen from the ashes as a symbol of Jewish perseverance, holds a minyan, or quorum, three times a day.
—Josh Nass, WSJ, 15 July 2021
Now the law committee is preparing to formally consider whether the allowance for a Zoom minyan should outlive the pandemic.
—Ben Harris, sun-sentinel.com, 14 Apr. 2021
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2022
The struggle to gather 10 Jewish men to form a prayer quorum known as a minyan is part of life for many small Jewish communities in Europe.
—Cnaan Liphshiz, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2022
Chabad offers a minyan every Shabbat and encourages the community to celebrate the holidays together.
—Caleb A. Guedes-Reed, sun-sentinel.com, 31 Mar. 2021
Reading from the Torah and saying certain prayers, including the kaddish, or mourner’s prayer, must take place in a group with a quorum of 10, known as a minyan.
—Religion News Service, oregonlive, 25 Mar. 2022
Without enough Jews to fulfill a minyan, or Jewish prayer group of 10 men, the building is now a trendy coffee shop.
—Jordyn Haime, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2021
With about a dozen members, the Jews of Vidin can barely form a minyan.
—Jonah Goldman Kay, sun-sentinel.com, 11 Aug. 2021
This little shul, literally risen from the ashes as a symbol of Jewish perseverance, holds a minyan, or quorum, three times a day.
—Josh Nass, WSJ, 15 July 2021
Now the law committee is preparing to formally consider whether the allowance for a Zoom minyan should outlive the pandemic.
—Ben Harris, sun-sentinel.com, 14 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minyan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Hebrew minyān, literally, number, count
First Known Use
1753, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near minyan
Cite this Entry
“Minyan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minyan. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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