challah

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Pronunciations

challah (CHAH-luh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. "The braided egg bread that traditionally is eaten on almost every Jewish holiday and [the Sabbath]" (JPS).

Example Sentences

  • "We need two challahs for Friday night."

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Heb חלה khalá, Yiddish/Ashkenazi Hebrew חלה khále

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand
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      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      khale, challa, chala, hallah

Notes

  • Jewish law requires that a festive meal include bread. Challah is often egg bread and is traditionally braided, except around the New Year, when it is round.

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