kosher

American  

[koh-sher] / ˈkoʊ ʃər /

adjective

1. Judaism.

   1. fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws.

      kosher meat; kosher dishes; a kosher Torah scroll.

   2. adhering to the laws governing such fitness.

      a kosher restaurant.

2. Informal.

   1. proper; legitimate.

   2. genuine; authentic.

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noun

1. kosher food.

   Where can I eat kosher in Mexico City?

verb (used with object)

1. to make kosher.

   to kosher meat by salting.

idioms

1. keep kosher, to adhere to the dietary laws of Judaism.

kosher British  

/ ˈkəʊʃə /

adjective

1. Judaism conforming to religious law; fit for use: esp, (of food) prepared in accordance with the dietary laws See also kasher kashruth

2. informal

   1. genuine or authentic

   2. legitimate or proper

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kosher ¹ Cultural  

1. Food that is permitted according to a set of dietary restrictions found in the Old Testament. For many Jews (see also Jews), foods that are not kosher cannot be eaten. The term can also be used colloquially to mean anything acceptable: “I don't think it's kosher to yell at your chess opponent when he is thinking about his next move.”

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kosher ² Cultural  

1. The descriptive term in Judaism for food and other objects that are clean according to its laws. These laws are contained in the Torah and forbid, for example, the eating of pork or shellfish, the mixing of dairy products and meat, and certain methods of slaughtering animals.

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Other Word Forms

• nonkosher adjective
• unkosher adjective

Etymology

Origin of kosher

First recorded in 1850–55 kosher for def. 1; 1885–90 kosher for def. 3; 1895–1900 kosher for def. 2; from Yiddish, from Ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew kāshēr “right, fit”

Example Sentences

The family observes the Sabbath and kosher dietary restrictions as best they can and attends weekly services.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 2019, he took heat from other Jersey political leaders for quickly condemning a deadly local shooting at a kosher grocery store as a hate crime.

From The Wall Street Journal

She also said there was “a lot of ethics back and forth — of lawyers and all of that, to make sure that we were aboveboard and that everything is kosher.”

From Los Angeles Times

He, who had always eaten kosher, he, the oldest son of an oldest son of a respected family, in fact, he Meyer Mossel Eusebius Smit, was seriously being asked to eat pork.

From Literature

Because it turned out that he was good at delivering meals, at making sure the diabetics never got the kosher boxes or the vegetarians the meat ones.

From Literature

Related Words

• genuine
• real
• true
• unadulterated