middos

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Pronunciations

middot (mee-DOHT) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Character traits; moral and ethical values.

Example Sentences

  • "The most important thing about a potential spouse is that he or she has good middos."

  • "I'm so glad she's going out with him, he has such good midot." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH מידה midá (plural: מידות midót) > Y מידה míde 'habit, manner' (plural: מידות mídes)

      • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      middot, midda, midos, midot, midah, mida

Notes

  • singular: 'mida'


    Sometimes partially translated as 'good midot', either from Hebrew midot tovot or Yiddish גוטע מידות gute mides.

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