rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī How to pronounce rabbi (audio)
1
: master, teacher
used by Jews as a term of address
2
: 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 Web Magid, a professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth and an ordained rabbi with a pulpit on Fire Island, was raised in a New York suburb by secular Socialist parents with ties to the Workmen’s Circle, then a mutual-aid society devoted to the cultivation of Yiddish cultural autonomy. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 Her father, Hillel Lieberman, was an American rabbi born in Brooklyn who immigrated to Israel in 1985. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 Lilienthal was credited as the first American rabbi to preach from a church pulpit. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 21 Jan. 2024 In the center of campus, the two Jewish students held their mini Israeli flags aloft and were eventually joined by a rabbi and other Jewish peers wearing kippahs. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2023 Then Rabbi Leder, probably the most important rabbi in our right now in L.A., maybe in California, and influences the highest of the Jewish community and has such an important voice and best-selling books and so on. Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024 Indeed, while no rabbi pierces the veil there, a woman named Frieda Vizel does. Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024 The interest was so high that in 1950 a special commission was formed to help Berlin’s top rabbi sift through the requests. Jacob Gurvis, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024 After getting out in the 1800 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, near the Adams Morgan and Kalorama neighborhoods, Myrick accused the rabbi of slamming the vehicle’s door, and got out to confront him. Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024

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 + 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

Dictionary Entries Near rabbi

Cite this Entry

“Rabbi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rabbi. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun
rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī How to pronounce rabbi (audio)
1
: master entry 1 sense 1a, teacher
used as a term of address for Jewish religious leaders
2
: 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 "my"

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