l'chaim
Pronunciations
Definitions
interj. A traditional toast exclaimed before drinking.
Example Sentences
At a celebration such as a wedding where many toasts are given, it is customary to exclaim "L'chaim" before drinking.
Listen to recordings of this sentence: ( Recording 1)
Languages of Origin
- Textual Hebrew
- Yiddish
- Modern Hebrew
Etymology
TH לחיים 'lit. to life' > Y לחײם lekháim, MH לחיים lekhaím
- Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
- Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)
- North America
- Great Britain
- South Africa
- Australia / New Zealand
- 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).
- View More
Who Uses This
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Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
lechaim, l'khaim, lekhaim, l'chayim, l'khayim, lekhayim, lechayim
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