kibbutz

[ ki-boots, -boots ]

noun

, plural kib·but·zim [ki-b, oo, t-, seem].

1. (in Israel) a community settlement, usually agricultural, organized under collectivist principles.

kibbutz

/ kɪˈbʊts /

noun

1. a collective agricultural settlement in modern Israel, owned and administered communally by its members and on which children are reared collectively

kibbutz

1. plur. kibbutzim (ki-boot- seem ) A communal farm or settlement in Israel . Kibbutzim have helped build national spirit in Israel, and the residents have transformed barren land into fertile, crop-producing land.

Word History and Origins

Origin of kibbutz¹

1930–35; < Modern Hebrew kibuṣ; compare Hebrew qibbūṣ gathering

Word History and Origins

Origin of kibbutz¹

C20: from Modern Hebrew qibbūs: gathering, from Hebrew qibbūtz

Example Sentences

It was there, and later on in travels in the Middle East, and working on a kibbutz, and elsewhere, that I started recognizing this really powerful force of culture that was incredibly important but really invisible.

From Freakonomics

Meir Yaari, a leader of the kibbutz movement, observed that “these days no fear is an exaggeration.”

From Washington Post

After coming to play for Israeli teams, he married Sharon Artzi, a Jewish Israeli track and field standout from a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee.

From Washington Post

Marzipan Flowers tells the story of Hadas Regal, a 48-year-old woman living on a kibbutz in southern Israel.

From The Daily Beast

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces thwarted an attack of 13 Palestinian gunmen who emerged near Kibbutz Sufa near the border.

From The Daily Beast

In the early days, Israel did the same, secretively producing millions of bullets below a fake kibbutz.

From The Daily Beast

British soldiers occasionally came to the kibbutz, but enough advance warning kept suspicions low.

From The Daily Beast

Yarden was on her way home from school when a Qassam hit their kibbutz, landing less than 100 feet away.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• commune