Karaite

[ kar-uh-ahyt ]

noun

, Judaism.

1. a member of a sect, founded in Persia in the 8th century a.d. by the religious leader Anan ben David, that rejected the Talmud and the teachings of the rabbis in favor of strict adherence to the Bible as the only source of Jewish law and practice.

Karaite

/ ˈkɛərəˌaɪt /

noun

1. a member of a Jewish sect originating in the 8th century ad , which rejected the Talmud, favoured strict adherence to and a literal interpretation of the Bible, and attempted to deduce a code of life from it

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating the Karaite sect

Other Words From

• Kar·a·ism [kar, -, uh, -iz-, uh, m], Kar·a·it·ism [kar, -, uh, -ahy-tiz-, uh, m], noun
• Kar·a·it·ic [kar-, uh, -, it, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Karaite¹

1720–30; < Hebrew qarāʿ ( īm ) (equivalent to qarā Biblical scholar, literally, reader + īm plural suffix) + -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Karaite¹

C18: from Hebrew qāraīm members of the sect, scripturalists, from qārā to read

Example Sentences

Less famously, the synagogue of the Karaite sect in Abbasiyya was also restored under her tenure.

From The Daily Beast

I mean the Mohammedan schools and sects, and the Karaite discussions which were closely modelled after them.

From Project Gutenberg

Aaron ben Elijah agrees in the main with his Karaite predecessors that Job was not punished for any fault he had committed.

From Project Gutenberg

They had no idea of scientific research, would have condemned it, in fact, as a leaning to Karaite doctrine.

From Project Gutenberg

Ben-Yerucham was not the only Karaite who sought to defend the sect against Saadiah's attacks.

From Project Gutenberg

If the Karaite authors expected to silence Saadiah by means of abuse192 they were mistaken.

From Project Gutenberg