rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī 

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

The rabbi said the incident highlights the danger of antisemetic and hateful propaganda by some local politicians and leaders in New York and across the US. —Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 12 Aug. 2024

The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a national Jewish anti-Zionist organization, included rabbis, students, Israeli Americans and descendants of Holocaust survivors. —Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 23 July 2024

The rabbi, Rachel Timoner, is Ondi Timoner’s sister. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2024

Speakers included long-time pastor and civil rights activist Rev. Joseph Ellwanger, local rabbi Michal Woll and Muslim community leader Janan Najeeb. —Zoe Jaeger, Journal Sentinel, 13 July 2024

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

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī 

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 -ī "my"