rabbi

1
[ rab-ahy ]
See synonyms for rabbi on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural rab·bis.
  1. the chief religious official of a synagogue, trained usually in a theological seminary and duly ordained, who delivers the sermon at a religious service and performs ritualistic, pastoral, educational, and other functions in and related to the role of a spiritual leader of Judaism and the Jewish community.: Compare cantor (def. 2).

  2. a title of respect for a Jewish scholar or teacher.

  1. a Jewish scholar qualified to rule on questions of Jewish law.

  2. any of the Jewish scholars of the 1st to 6th centuries a.d. who contributed to the writing, editing, or compiling of the Talmud.

  3. Slang. a personal patron or adviser, as in business.

Origin of rabbi

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English rabi (from Old French rab(b)i) from Late Latin rabbī, from Greek rhabbí, from Hebrew rabbī “my master” (rabh “master” + “my”)

Words that may be confused with rabbi

Words Nearby rabbi

Other definitions for rabbi (2 of 2)

rabbi2
[ rab-ee ]

nounEcclesiastical.

Origin of rabbi

2
By alteration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rabbi in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rabbi

rabbi

/ (ˈræbaɪ) /


nounplural -bis
  1. (in Orthodox Judaism) a man qualified in accordance with traditional religious law to expound, teach, and rule in accordance with this law

  2. the religious leader of a congregation; the minister of a synagogue

  1. the Rabbis the early Jewish scholars whose teachings are recorded in the Talmud

Origin of rabbi

1
Hebrew, from rabh master + my

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for rabbi

rabbi

In Judaism, a teacher and leader of worship, usually associated with a synagogue.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.