Ashkenazi

American  

[ahsh-kuh-nah-zee] / ˌɑʃ kəˈnɑ zi /

noun

plural

Ashkenazim

1. a member of the diasporic Jewish population that settled in central and eastern Europe, distinguished from the Sephardim chiefly by liturgy, religious customs, and pronunciation of Hebrew.

   For the benefit of Ashkenazim using the book, variations are included where they are significantly different.

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adjective

1. Also Ashkenazic of or relating to the diasporic Jewish population that settled in central and eastern Europe, or to the culture, liturgy, or variety of Hebrew used by these Jews.

   The melody is an adaptation of a South German chant sung in Ashkenazi synagogues during High Holy Days.

   Ashkenazi styles of cooking have influenced many other cuisines.

Ashkenazi British  

/ ˌæʃkəˈnɑːzɪ /

noun

1. (modifier) of or relating to the Jews of Germany and E Europe

2. a Jew of German or E European descent

3. the pronunciation of Hebrew used by these Jews

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Etymology

Origin of Ashkenazi

First recorded in 1830–40; from post-Biblical Hebrew ashkənazzīm, plural of ashkənazzī, equivalent to ashkənaz + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; see origin at Ashkenaz

Example Sentences

Rabbi Levine leads the Jewish Center in New York and is author of “Hakham Tsevi Ashkenazi and the Battlegrounds of the Early Modern Rabbinate.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Yiddish, the language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews across Europe before the Holocaust, is now perhaps best known to many English speakers through words such as "schlep", "klutz" and "chutzpah".

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

USC’s Jewish community is hardly a monolith, including Jews who are Persian, Israeli, Latino and Ashkenazi, who have more European roots.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2024

From this perspective, sauerkraut is a particular ecosystem shaped by German food traditions, kosher dill pickles by Ashkenazi Jewish traditions, and pao cai by southwestern Chinese traditions.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2024

His dad’s family is Ashkenazi, and on his mom’s side are Jewish refugees from Yemen.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed