challah

play

noun chal·lah \ ˈḵä-lə , ˈhä- \

variants: or less commonly challa or hallah

Definition of challah

plural challoth or challot play \ˈḵä-ˌlōt, -ˌlōth, -ˌlōs, ˈhä-\ or challahs also challas play \ˈḵä-ləz, ˈhä-\ or halloth or hallot play \ˈḵä-ˌlōt, -ˌlōth, -ˌlōs, ˈhä-\ or hallahs play \ˈḵä-ləz, ˈhä-\

:egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking and is traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath and holidays

challah was our Word of the Day on 02/05/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of challah from the Web

And the lunch counter swivel stools at B&H Dairy, Veselka, and the Stage, fresh challah bread and chicken noodle soup.

— jeremiah moss, Longreads, "Mourning the Low-Rent, Weirdo-Filled East Village of Old," 24 July 2017
The flatbread and focaccia with it are house-baked, as are the challah rolls in the gratis bread service.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "A bigger canvas for Seattle’s Art of the Table," 20 July 2017
Cleveland’s history is filled with bakeries that served up homemade pastries, cakes, challah, Italian loaves and more.

— cleveland.com, "Cleveland bakeries of the past: From sweet treats to fresh bread (vintage photos)," 12 July 2017
Tradition resident Rosalie Shapero enjoyed the opportunity to view the preparation of the challah.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Generations come together at Baking with Bubbe event," 22 June 2017
Yet having grown up as part of a traditional family in Jerusalem, the rituals are familiar: warm challah bread, cold wine, hot chicken soup, spirited songs.

— daniella j. greenbaum, WSJ, "Whom Have You Brought to Shabbat?," 15 June 2017
South Florida Jewish children and their families recently enjoyed baking challah at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie.

— sergio carmona, Jewish Journal, "Children learn tradition of challah baking," 12 June 2017
Less than a 100 meters away, Bretzel Bakery, a holdover from Portobello’s Jewish heyday, has stood in the same corner building since the late 19th century and still bakes its challah from the original recipe.

— ratha tep, New York Times, "Then, a Vibrant Jewish Hub. Now, a Culinary Hotbed.," 25 May 2017
Basic white bread is the clear choice, as are brioche or challah.

— julia moskin, charlotteobserver, "What’s the secret ingredient for better French toast?," 9 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'challah.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

challah Comes From Yiddish

When English speakers first borrowed challah from Yiddish, they couldn't quite settle on a single spelling, so the word showed up in several forms; challah, challa, hallah, and the plural forms challoth, challot, halloth, and hallot were all common enough to merit inclusion in Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged when it was released in 1961. Today, challah and the anglicized plural challahs are the variants that are usually encountered by English speakers. The initial ch of challah is frequently pronounced as a velar fricative, like the ch in the German Buch or the Scottish English loch.

Origin and Etymology of challah

Yiddish khale, from Hebrew ḥallāh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1907

See Words from the same year

Other Jewish Religion Terms

Talmud, Zion, dybbuk, kosher, tabernacle, tetragrammaton, yarmulke

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challah

Definition of challah

challah was our Word of the Day on 02/05/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of challah from the Web

challah Comes From Yiddish

Origin and Etymology of challah

Other Jewish Religion Terms

Seen and Heard

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challah

Definition of challah

From the M-W Editors

challah was our Word of the Day on 02/05/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of challah from the Web

challah Comes From Yiddish

Origin and Etymology of challah

Other Jewish Religion Terms

Seen and Heard

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Love words? Need even more definitions?

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