gartel

Pronunciations

Definitions

  • n. A belt worn by Chassidic Jews (and a growing number of Litvaks) for prayer or everyday wear over a long frock coat and tied in a symbolic way to differentiate it from a regular belt (symbolically to differentiate the heart from the loins).

Example Sentences

  • "David went to Israel for yeshiva, when he left he wore colorful shirts and slacks to shul, now he wears a black suit, white shirt, and gartel."

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • גאַרטל gartl

    • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      gartle, gartl

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.