Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
rabbi 1[rab-ahy] ExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for rabbi on Thesaurus.com noun, plural rab·bis.
- 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 his or her capacity as a spiritual leader of Judaism and the Jewish community.Compare cantor(def 2).
- a title of respect for a Jewish scholar or teacher.
- a Jewish scholar qualified to rule on questions of Jewish law.
- any of the Jewish scholars of the 1st to 6th centuries a.d. who contributed to the writing, editing, or compiling of the Talmud.
- Slang. a personal patron or adviser, as in business.
Origin of rabbi 1 1250–1300; Middle English rabi (Old French rab(b)i) Late Latin rabbī Greek rhabbí Hebrew rabbī my master (rabh master + -ī my)Can be confusedclergy cleric imam minister pastor priest rabbi rabbi 2[rab-ee] noun Ecclesiastical.
Origin of rabbi 2by alteration Related Words for rabbi priest, teacher, master, rabbin, talmudist Examples from the Web for rabbi Contemporary Examples of rabbi
Freundel is also rabbi of the prominent Kesher Israel synagogue in Washington.
Accusations Pile Up on Top D.C. Rabbi Barry Freundel
Steven I. Weiss
October 15, 2014
His office let Rabbi Yehuda Kolko get away without jail time or registering as a sex offender.
The Orthodox Sex Abuse Crackdown That Wasn’t
Emily Shire
October 7, 2014
He remembered one day when Rabbi Bodenheimer came outside during recess.
This ‘Holy Guy’—and Grandfather of 100—Is Accused of Sexually Abusing a Student
Batya Ungar-Sargon
September 9, 2014
Now if he had problems, and felt he was abused he had me or the Rabbi in his Shul to discuss it with.
This ‘Holy Guy’—and Grandfather of 100—Is Accused of Sexually Abusing a Student
Batya Ungar-Sargon
September 9, 2014
If confirmed, Rabbi Saperstein will have more than his share of work cut out for him.
Religious Leaders Hail Obama’s New Ambassador
Joshua DuBois
July 29, 2014
Historical Examples of rabbi
And let the sheikh and the priest and the rabbi embrace on that very Stump and make up.
Ameen Rihani
Give her one child, and it shall be Thine—if it is a son, to be a Rabbi in Thy synagogues.
Hall Caine
No one came near them—neither Moor nor Jew, neither Rabbi nor elder.
Hall Caine
She was too innocent to see the trick, but the Rabbi failed.
Hall Caine
But a Chacham (Rabbi), unappeased, raised a loud plaint of blasphemy.
I. Zangwill
British Dictionary definitions for rabbi rabbi noun plural -bis
- (in Orthodox Judaism) a man qualified in accordance with traditional religious law to expound, teach, and rule in accordance with this law
- the religious leader of a congregation; the minister of a synagogue
- the Rabbis the early Jewish scholars whose teachings are recorded in the Talmud
See also Rav Word Origin for rabbi Hebrew, from rabh master + -ī my Word Origin and History for rabbi n.
“Jewish doctor of religious law,” late 15c. (in Old English in biblical context only; in Middle English also as a title prefixed to personal names), from Late Latin rabbi, from Greek rhabbi, from Mishnaic Hebrew rabbi “my master,” from rabh “master, great one,” title of respect for Jewish doctors of law + -i, first person singular pronominal suffix. From Semitic root r-b-b “to be great or numerous” (cf. robh “multitude;” Aramaic rabh “great; chief, master, teacher;” Arabic rabba “was great,” rabb “master”).
rabbi in Culture rabbi
In Judaism, a teacher and leader of worship, usually associated with a synagogue.