Rabbi
/ˈɹæ.baɪ/ noun
Forms Rabbis rabbies rabbanim rabbanin rabbonim rabbonin rabbin rabboni
- noun The title of a rabbi (a Jewish scholar or teacher); used before or instead of the rabbi's name.
- noun (countable, Judaism) A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions.
- noun (countable, Judaism) A Jew who is the leader or is qualified to be the leader of a Jewish congregation.
- noun (countable, law enforcement, slang) A senior officer who acts as a mentor.
Etymology
From Middle English raby, from Ecclesiastical Latin rabbi, and its source Koine Greek ῥαββί (rhabbí), from (post-Tanakh) Hebrew רַבִּי (rabbi, “my master”), from רַב (rav, “master”) + ־ִי (-í, “my”). Compare late Old English rabbi. Doublet of rebbe and related to rav.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Rabbi”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details