Ashkenazi

American  

[ahsh-kuh-nah-zee] / ˌɑʃ kəˈnɑ zi /

noun

• Ashkenazim
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Ashkenazim
  plural

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Ashkenazi Ashkenazim

Alphabet reported total pay of $31.3 million for Ashkenazi, who ranked second in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

"The more capital we can free up within the organisation to invest, the better we can turn this flywheel of making investments to drive future growth," chief financial officer Anat Ashkenazi said.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026

Add to this the fact that I have an Ashkenazi background, and I’m about as at-risk for breast cancer as any man can be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

The American turn to monolingualism did not occur until after the Civil War, when new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe began to arrive in large numbers: Italians, Poles, Greeks and Ashkenazi Jews.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026

“Need I remind you, I don’t know deep-cut Ashkenazi stuff; it’s not my thing. Like, I barely understand kugel. Is it a dessert or a side dish? Is it noodles or is it cheesecake?”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

The Mizrahim who make up around half of Israel's Jewish majority - a figure hard to pin down due to widespread intermarriage with Ashkenazim - have at times complained of discrimination and socio-economic disadvantage.

From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2023

Previous studies have shown that modern communities are a genetic mélange, with Ashkenazim the world over carrying essentially the same collection of DNA sequences.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2022

The DNA results from Norwich and Erfurt both confirm that modern Ashkenazim are descended from a small founding population.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 30, 2022

Mizrahim earn roughly 25 percent less per capita than Ashkenazim, according to Momi Dahan, a professor of public policy at Hebrew University.

From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2016

The Jews here are from all over the world: Ashkenazim from Europe; Sephardim from Spain, Africa, Greece; Mizrahim from the countries here around us; Americans; Sabras, who've been here for millennia—all with their own languages.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

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