rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈra-ˌbī 

1

: master, teacher

—used by Jews as a term of address

2

: a Jew qualified to expound and apply the halacha and other Jewish law

3

: a Jew trained and ordained for professional religious leadership

specifically : the official leader of a Jewish congregation

Examples of rabbi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As is customary, Trump wrote a letter to the rabbis, read it quietly, then tore it up and placed in the enclosed area. —NBC News, 8 Oct. 2024

Asked about accusations that Israel’s bombings had killed thousands of non-combatants, Sharfman, rabbi at Congregation Kehillah in the north Valley, laid blame at Hamas and Hezbollah for using civilians as human shields. —Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2024

My grandfather, a rabbi who died this year, made it out of Europe before the Holocaust. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

However, an earlier sandwich reference comes from stories of Hillel the Elder, a rabbi who suggested a form of a sandwich for Passover, placing lamb and bitter herbs between pieces of unleavened matzah bread. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek rhabbi, from Hebrew rabbī my master, from rabh master + -ī my

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rabbi

noun

rab·​bi ˈrab-ˌī 

1

: master entry 1 sense 1a, teacher

—used as a term of address for Jewish religious leaders

2

: a professionally trained leader of a Jewish congregation

rabbinic

rə-ˈbin-ik

ra-

adjective

or rabbinical

-i-kəl

Etymology

Old English rabbi "term of address used for Jewish religious leaders," from Latin rabbi (same meaning), from Greek rhabbi (same meaning), from Hebrew rabbī "my master," from rabh "master" and the suffix -ī "my"