minyan

noun

min·​yan ˈmin-yən How to pronounce minyan (audio)
plural minyanim ˌmin-yə-ˈnēm How to pronounce minyan (audio) 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 See all Example Sentences for minyan 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of minyan was in 1753

Dictionary Entries Near minyan

Cite this Entry

“Minyan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minyan. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

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