chalutz

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Pronunciations

chalutzim (khah-loo-TSEEM) listen
chalutz (khah-LOOTS) listen

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Definitions

  • n. (often in the plural) Pioneers in the building of the State of Israel.

  • n. A pioneer in any field.

Example Sentences

  • “Although the early pioneers, chalutzim, drained the swamps, made deserts bloom, built Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashkelon, and the new Jerusalem, four generations later the dreams of the Zionists are not yet fulfilled." (source)

  • "With his khaki shorts, grimy sandals, tousled hair, and splendid moustache, he looked every inch a chalutz." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Modern Hebrew
  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH חלוץ > Y חלוץ kholets, MH חלוץ khaluts

      • Who Uses This

      • Israel: Diaspora Jews who feel connected to Israel and have spent time there

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      halutsim, halutzim, chaluzim, chalusim, chalutzim, chalus, chaluts, halutz, haluts, khalutsim, khalutzim, khalutz, khaluts, khalus, cholets, choletz, kholets, kholetz

Notes

  • plural: 'chalutzim'

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