apikoros

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Pronunciations

apikorus (ah-pee-KOH-roos) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A heretic, non-believer; especially one with great knowledge of Judaism.

Example Sentences

  • "A lot of people think that if you go to college you'll become an apikores."

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Languages of Origin

  • Aramaic
  • Yiddish
  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • TH אפיקורס epikoros/apikores > Y אַפּיקורס apikoyres (plural אַפּיקורסים apikorsim)

      • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • 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).
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      Alternative Spellings

      apikores, apikoyres, apikorus, apikoras, apicoras, apicorus, apicoros, apikoires

Notes

  • Apparently derived from the Greek philosopher Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism.

    See also apikorsus.

    The plural is apikorsim.

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