Gaon

[ gah-ohn; Sephardic Hebrew gah-awn; Ashkenazic Hebrew gah-ohn, goin ]

noun,plural Ge·o·nim [Sephardic Hebrew ge-aw-neem; Ashkenazic Hebrew gey-oh-nim], /Sephardic Hebrew gɛ ɔˈnim; Ashkenazic Hebrew geɪˈoʊ nɪm/, English Ga·ons.
  1. a title of honor for the directors of the Jewish academies at Sura and Pumbedita in Babylonia, used from the end of the 6th century a.d. to about the beginning of the 11th century.

  2. an eminent Jewish scholar noted for wisdom and knowledge of the Talmud: the Gaon of Vilna.

Origin of Gaon

1
1770–80; <Hebrew: literally, majesty

Other words from Gaon

  • Ga·on·ic [gey-on-ik], /geɪˈɒn ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby Gaon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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