Sephardi

American  

[suh-fahr-dee, suh-fahr-dee] / səˈfɑr di, sə fɑrˈdi /

noun

Sephardim plural

1. a member of the diasporic Jewish population that settled in Spain and Portugal, distinguished from the Ashkenazim and from other Jewish communities chiefly by liturgy, religious customs, and pronunciation of Hebrew: after expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492, the Sephardim established communities in North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere.

   She grew up in a warm Jewish community, most of whom were Sephardim.

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adjective

1. Also Sephardic of or relating to the diasporic Jewish population that settled in Spain and Portugal and later dispersed to North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere, or to the culture, liturgy, or variety of Hebrew used by these Jews.

   He has also published research on Sephardi schools in Argentina.

   The music of the prayers is performed mainly in the Eastern Sephardi style.

Sephardi British  

/ sɪˈfɑːdiː /

noun

1. 1. a Jew of Spanish, Portuguese, or North African descent

   2. (loosely) any Oriental Jew

2. the pronunciation of Hebrew used by these Jews, and of Modern Hebrew as spoken in Israel

3. (modifier) of or pertaining to the Sephardim, esp to their liturgy and ritual

4. (modifier) of or pertaining to the liturgy adopted by certain European, esp Chassidic, communities who believe it to be more authentic but nonetheless differing from the genuine Oriental liturgy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Sephardic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• Sephardim
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Sephardi

First recorded in 1850–55; from Modern Hebrew Səphāraddīm, plural of Səphāraddī, equivalent to Hebrew Səphāradh, a region mentioned in Bible (Obadiah 20), probably in northern Asia Minor, but later interpreted to be Spain + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin