: a Jew qualified to expound and apply the halacha and other Jewish law
3
: a Jew trained and ordained for professional religious leadership
specifically: the official leader of a Jewish congregation
Examples of rabbi in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebIn April, on an evening as breezy as Trixie and Katya’s banter, a rabbi summarized the grooms’ relationship to about 175 of their friends and relatives.—Jessica Testa, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024 Herzl, who received the letter from the French chief rabbi, assured Khalidi in his reply that the Zionists would develop the land for the benefit of all inhabitants, including the Arabs.—Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rabbi
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rabbi.' 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
Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek rhabbi, from Hebrew rabbī my master, from rabh master + -ī my
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of rabbi was
before the 12th century
: a professionally trained leader of a Jewish congregation
rabbinic
rə-ˈbin-ik
ra-
adjective
or rabbinical
-i-kəl
Etymology
Old English rabbi "term of address used for Jewish religious leaders," from Latin rabbi (same meaning), from Greek rhabbi (same meaning), from Hebrew rabbī "my master," from rabh "master" and the suffix -ī "my"
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