tref

American

[treyf] / treɪf /

Also trayf,

adjective

Judaism. unfit to be eaten or used, according to religious laws; not kosher.

tref British

/ treɪf /

adjective

Judaism ritually unfit to be eaten; not kosher

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tref

< Yiddish treyf < Hebrew ṭərēphāh “torn flesh,” literally, “something torn”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

tref

Latin septem, Welsh blynedd, saith mlynedd; Irish tir, “country,” i d-tir, “in a country,” Welsh tref, “town,” yn nhref, “in a town,” cf.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

Galiot comes to see after Lancelot, daultre part fut gallehault leue, & vint a son tref veoir son compaignon.

From Lancelot of the Laik A Scottish Metrical Romance by Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat

P. xxxv. ores, now. huy, to-day. preudhomme, a wise and prudent man. lottroye, permits him. tref, tent. nenny, no! ains, before. guerpiront, will leave. deduys, amusements, diversions.

From Lancelot of the Laik A Scottish Metrical Romance by Walter W. (Walter William) Skeat

Clean, according to Jewish ritual law; opposed to tref, unclean.

From The Promised Land by Mary Antin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023