b'laz
Definitions
adv. Abbreviation for "B'loshn am zar", "in a foreign language"; usually used by the commentator Rashi when using a Middle French expression.
Example Sentences
"Rashi often includes vocabulary 'b'laz' to help his medieval French readers."
Languages of Origin
- Textual Hebrew
- Yiddish
Etymology
בלע"ז
- Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
- North America
- Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
Who Uses This
Regions
Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
belaaz, b'laaz, b'la'az
Notes
La'az refers to "lashon am zar," and the "b" prefix means "in."
La'az / lo'ez means foreign language, as found in the phrase "Me'am Lo'ez", from a people who speak a foreign language.
The Yiddish b(e)láz can humorously express the meaning 'otherwise known as'.
Edit Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.