middos

Alternative Spellings

middot

Definitions

• character traits (singular: "middah")

Example Sentences

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

Languages of Origin

Textual Hebrew, Yiddish

Etymology

Heb מידה midá, Yiddish míde 'habit, manner' (plural מידות midót, mídes)

Who Uses This

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

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

Notes

Jewish-English "good middos" is likely a loan translation of Yiddish גוטע מידות gute mides 'virtue'.