eshet chayil

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Pronunciations

eshet chayil (EY-shet CHAH-yeel) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A woman who embodies traditional Jewish values; a superwoman; a woman of valor.

  • n. A poem in Proverbs 31 about a woman who embodies traditional Jewish values.

Example Sentences

  • "Mrs. Cohen is a real eshet chayil."

  • "You know, Morry, you really have an eshet chayil there." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH אשת חיל eshet khayil > Y אשת חיל eshes khayil

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      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).

      Alternative Spellings

      eshet hayil, eyshes chayil, eyshet chayil, eyshes khayil, eshet khayil

Notes

  • The poem is traditionally sung on Friday nights, particularly among Orthodox Jews.

    See also woman of valor.

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