challah

Edit

Pronunciations

challah (CHAH-luh) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. The braided bread that is eaten on many Jewish holidays and every Shabbat.

Example Sentences

  • "We need two challahs for Friday night."

    Listen to recordings of this sentence: ( Recording 1)

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH חלה khalá > Y 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
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      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.

    plural: 'chalot'

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.