Gaon

[gah-ohn, gah-awn, gah-ohn, goin]

noun

plural

Geonim ,

plural

Gaons .

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.

Other Word Forms

• Gaonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gaon¹

1770–80; < Hebrew: literally, majesty

Example Sentences

Property records identify the owner as Raymond Gaon, who has lived in the two-bedroom home since the 1990s.

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A friend of Gaon, Tonya Lee Jaynes, who helps individuals with hoarding problems, said Gaon is a Vietnam veteran who keeps a strict, meticulously ordered recycling regimen as a means to make income, she said.

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She added that Gaon, 71, has declined to speak to reporters about his home.

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Jaynes said Gaon is a private man who obtained a biology degree in college and allows the vegetation in his front yard to overgrow so he can observe butterflies and other insects.

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She pleaded with surrounding neighbors to extend compassion to Gaon, who she said has trouble breaking his routines.

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