You can mark you interesting snippets of text that will be available through a unique link in your browser.


Jew

Translation
Jew
/jooh/, n.
1. one of a scattered group of people that traces its descent from the Biblical Hebrews or from postexilic adherents of Judaism; Israelite.
2. a person whose religion is Judaism.
3. a subject of the ancient kingdom of Judah.
adj.
4. Offensive. of Jews; Jewish.
v.t.
5. (l.c.) Offensive. to bargain sharply with; beat down in price (often fol. by down).
[1125-75; ME jewe, giu, gyu, ju < OF juiu, juieu, gyu < LL judeus, L judaeus < Gk ioudaîos < Aram yehudai < Heb Yahudhi, deriv. of Yahudhah JUDAH; r. OE iudeas Jews < LL jude(us) + OE -as pl. ending]

* * *

Any person whose religion is Judaism.

In a wider sense the term refers to any member of a worldwide ethnic and cultural group descended from the ancient Hebrews who traditionally practiced the Jewish religion. The Hebrew term Yehudi, translated as Judaeus in Latin and Jew in English, originally referred to a member of the tribe of Judah. In Jewish tradition, any child born of a Jewish mother is considered a Jew; in Reform Judaism a child is considered a Jew if either parent is Jewish.

* * *

▪ people
Hebrew  Yĕhūdhī , or  Yehudi 

      any person whose religion is Judaism (q.v.). In the broader sense of the term, a Jew is any person belonging to the worldwide group that constitutes, through descent or conversion, a continuation of the ancient Jewish people, who were themselves descendants of the Hebrews of the Old Testament. In ancient times, a Yĕhūdhī was originally a member of Judah—i.e., either of the tribe of Judah (one of the 12 tribes that took possession of the Promised Land) or of the subsequent Kingdom of Judah (in contrast to the rival Kingdom of Israel to the north). The Jewish people as a whole, initially called Hebrews (ʿIvrim), were known as Israelites (Israelite) (Yisreʾelim) from the time of their entrance into the Holy Land to the end of the Babylonian Exile (538 BC). Thereafter, the term Yĕhūdhī (Latin: Judaeus; French: Juif; German: Jude; and English: Jew) was used to signify all adherents of Judaism, because the survivors of the Exile (former inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah) were the only Israelites who had retained their distinctive identity. (The 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel had been dispersed after the Assyrian conquest of 721 BC and were gradually assimilated by other peoples). The term Jew is thus derived through the Latin Judaeus and the Greek Ioudaios from the Hebrew Yĕhūdhī. The latter term is an adjective occurring only in the later parts of the Old Testament and signifying a descendant of Yehudhah (Judah), the fourth son of Jacob, whose tribe, together with that of his half brother Benjamin, constituted the Kingdom of Judah.

      In the modern world, a definition of Jew that would be satisfactory to all is virtually impossible to construct, for it involves ethnic and religious issues that are both complex and controversial. In daily life, for example, those who consider themselves Jews are generally accepted as such by Jews and non-Jews alike, even though such persons may not observe religious practices. While all Jews agree that a child born of a Jewish mother is Jewish, Reform Judaism goes beyond Orthodoxy and Conservative Judaism in affirming that a child is Jewish if either one of the parents is a Jew.

      From a purely religious standpoint, Gentile converts to Judaism are accepted as Jewish in the fullest sense of the word; but in Israel the rabbinate has often placed obstacles in the registration of Jews who were not converted under the supervision of Orthodox rabbis. For this reason the chief rabbinate of Israel has been confronted in recent years with perplexing problems regarding the religious status of certain immigrants. The Supreme Court of Israel, however, has been making incursions into rabbinic interpretations of personal status. Citizens of the State of Israel are called Israelis, a term carrying no ethnological or religious connotations.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Synonyms:

  
Share  

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jew — Jew, n. [OF. Juis, pl., F. Juif, L. Judaeus, Gr. ?, fr. ? the country of the Jews, Judea, fr. Heb. Y[e^]h[=u]d[=a]h Judah, son of Jacob. Cf. {Judaic}.] 1. Originally, one belonging to the tribe or kingdom of Judah; after the return from the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • jew — 1> еврей; еврейка 2> иудей (лицо, исповедующее иудаизм) Id: Jew s eye сокровище Id: tell it to the Jews! рассказывай!; расскажи это своей бабушке! 3> еврейский Ex: the Jew religion иудаизм …   Новый большой англо-русский словарь

  • Jew — noun еврей, иудей …   Англо-русский словарь Мюллера

  • Jew — A Jew (Hebrew: יְהוּדִי, Yehudi (sl.); he. יְהוּדִים, Yehudim (pl.); Ladino: ג׳ודיו, Djudio (sl.); ג׳ודיוס, Djudios (pl.); Yiddish: ייִד, Yid (sl.); yi. ייִדן, Yidn (pl.)) [According to the The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language …   Wikipedia

  • Jew — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Ed Jew est un homme politique américain de San Francisco. Jimmy Eat World ou JEW est un groupe de rock américain. Jew est un mot anglais qui veut dire… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jew — noun /dʒuː/ a) An adherent of Judaism. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs b) A person who claims a cultural or ancestral connection to the Jewish people (see secular Jew). dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with Syn:… …   Wiktionary

  • Jew — dʒu: сущ. еврей, иудей еврей; еврейка иудей (лицо, исповедующее иудаизм) > * s eye сокровище > tell it to the *s! рассказывай!; расскажи это своей бабушке! еврейский the * religion иудаизм Jew еврей, иудей …   Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь

  • Jew —    The name derived from the patriarch Judah, at first given to one belonging to the tribe of Judah or to the separate kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 16:6; 25:25; Jer. 32:12; 38:19; 40:11; 41:3), in contradistinction from those belonging to the… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Jew — noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French ju, jeu, from Latin Judaeus, from Greek Ioudaios, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhī, from Yĕhūdhāh Judah, Jewish kingdom Date: 13th century 1. a. a member of the tribe of Judah b. Israelite 2. a member of a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Jew. — Jewish. * * * …   Universalium

Фильмы