bris

noun

variants or less commonly briss
: the Jewish rite of circumcision

Examples of bris in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The first anniversary of that grim day was rounded off with a second bris in Har Gilo for fellow Efrat residents. Rabbi Hayim Leiter, Sun Sentinel, 17 Oct. 2024 In fact, apart from the near-miss bris debacle, the potentially comic situations never go far enough. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Stoppard, who was raised knowing little about Judaism, turned to friends while writing the play, seeking advice for a scene involving a bris and discussing Seders with Fran Lebowitz. Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2022 The gravitational pull of tradition had already begun to decline—as Khan mentions, plenty of parents forgo the bris, for good reasons—but the pandemic opened a decisive rupture between past and future. Alex Kahn, The New Yorker, 27 July 2022 See All Example Sentences for bris

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish bris, short for bris-mile, from Hebrew bĕrīth mīlāh, literally, covenant of circumcision

First Known Use

circa 1934, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bris was circa 1934

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Cite this Entry

“Bris.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bris. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

bris

noun
variants also briss
ˈbris
: the Jewish rite of circumcision
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