kibbutz

Pronunciations

kibbutz (kee-BOOTS) listen

Definitions

  • n. A communal settlement in Israel, traditionally based on agriculture, socialism, and Zionism.

Example Sentences

  • "I went to live on a kibbutz to learn Hebrew."

  • "Residents of Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel have started to return to pick up what remains of their belongings. The kibbutz was one of more than 20 towns and villages that were attacked on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists." (source)

  • "The whole idea of kibbutz was born in the times of Jewish collective settlements in Palestine, a while before the State of Israel was created. It was based on the social, economical and sex equality in the social community where there is no private property and all the members live, work and raise children together. The kibbutz movement had a solid background in socialism and Zionism, with the utopian dream of the perfect world." (source)

Languages of Origin

  • Modern Hebrew

Etymology

  • קִבּוּץ kibúts

    • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      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).
      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      kibutz, kibbuts, kibuts

Notes

  • Though kibbutzim were once marked by communal ownership of property and income as well as the communal upbringing of children, nowadays, most kibbutznik own their own property and income and raise their own children.

    plural: 'kibbutzim'

    See also kibbutznik and moshav.

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