Ashkenazic

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Pronunciations

ashkenazic (ash-ken-AH-zik) listen

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Definitions

  • adj. Adjectival form for 'Ashkenazim', "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France, and their descendants" (JPS).

Example Sentences

  • "My family is Ashkenazi, we come from Poland."

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish
  • English

Etymology

  • Heb אשכנזי ashkenazí, from אשכנז ashkenaz '(Jewish) medieval Germany'; Yiddish אַשכּנזיש ashkenázish

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements

      Regions

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

      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).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      Ashkenazi

Notes

  • In the Bible, Ashkenaz was the first son of Gomer and great-grandson of Noah. "Ashkenazic" has also become a description of all Central and Eastern Eurpoean Jews and their descendants.

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