gemara

Alternative Spellings

gemorah, gemarah

Definitions

• "A compilation of 300 years of rabbis' legal and ethical commentaries on the Mishnah...together, the Gemara and the Mishnah comprise the Talmud." (JPS)

Example Sentences

• "Traditionally, Jewish boys begin studying gemara at age 10."

Languages of Origin

Textual Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish

Etymology

Heb גמרא gemará, Yiddish גמרא g(e)móre

Who Uses This

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

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
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).

Notes

Non-Orthodox Jews are more likely to use the term "Talmud"