refua shlema

Pronunciations

refuah shlema (reh-foo-AH shley-MAH) listen
refua shlema (reh-FOO-uh SHLEY-muh) listen

Definitions

  • interj. Get well soon.

  • n. A full recovery.

Example Sentences

  • "I heard Abby was sick—tell her I say 'refuah sheleimah.'"

  • "We wish Rabbi Goldberg a refuah shleimah."

  • "Don't forget to wish your sister a refua shlema from all of us." (Glinert)

  • "Look after yourself, Alec, and refua shlema!" (Glinert)

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH רפואה שלמה refuá shlemá > Y רפואה שלמה refúe shléyme, lit. 'complete recovery'

    • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • 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).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      refiye shleyme, refuah sh'leimah, refua sheleimah, refua sheleima, refue shleyme, refuah shleimah, refua shlaymah, refua shlayma, refuah shlaymah, refuah shlayma, refua shleyma, refua shleyme, refua shleymah, refua shleymeh, refuah shleymeh

Notes

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