hakam

noun

ha·​kam

variants or haham

ḵäˈḵäm

or less commonly chochem

ˈḵȯḵəm

plural hakamim or hahamim also chachamim or chachomim

ˌḵäḵäˈmēm

1

: one learned in Jewish Law : wise man

specifically, plural : the rabbinical interpreters of biblical law of the first two Christian centuries whose interpretations are recorded in the Mishnah and contemporary works

2

: a title given to a rabbi by the Sephardic Jews

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew ḥākhām wise, wise man; chochem from Yiddish khokhem, from Hebrew ḥākhām

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