b'laz

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Pronunciations

b'laz (be-LAHZ) listen

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Definitions

  • adv. In a vernacular or foreign language (i.e., not Hebrew or Yiddish).

  • adv. Also known as (to introduce an alternate name).

Example Sentences

  • "Rashi often includes vocabulary 'b'laz' to help his medieval French readers."

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • בלע"ז abbreviation for בלשון עם זר b'loshn am zar 'in a foreign language'

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      belaaz, b'laaz, b'la'az

Notes

  • Often used by the commentator Rashi when using a Middle French expression.

    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'.

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