Ashkenazi

//ˌɑːʃkɪˈnɑːzi// adj, name, noun

adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An Ashkenazi Jew.
  2. 2
    Alternative form of Ashke-Nazi. alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    a Jew of eastern European or German descent wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to Jews of German origin, and their traditions, customs, and rituals. Their traditional vernacular is Yiddish, and they historically dominated Jewish life in Europe north of the Mediterranean, in contrast to the Sephardim.
  2. 2
    Alternative form of Ashke-Nazi. alt-of, alternative
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from Hebrew.

Synonyms

All synonyms
ashkenazic

Example

More examples

"Nineteenth-century Hebrew had three principal dialects: Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and Yemenite."

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew אַשְׁכְּנַזִּי ('ashk'nazí), from Biblical Hebrew אַשְׁכְּנַז (ʾaškənaz). The biblical Ashkenaz was the son of Gomer, the grandson of Japheth, and the great-grandson of Noah. Ashkenaz's descendants were identified with the Germans by medieval Jewish tradition. Ashkenaz was also the name used for the Rhine river, which was the starting point of central and eastern European settlement by Jews, who are thought to have arrived in the region from Italy, and then spread east as they fled violent oppression and followed more favorable ownership laws. By surface analysis, Ashkenaz + -i.

Related phrases

Ashke-Nazieastern europe

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.