bris

British

/ ˈbrɪt, ˈbrɪs /

noun

Judaism ritual circumcision of male babies, usually at eight days old, regarded as the formal entry of the child to the Jewish community

"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 bris

from Hebrew, literally: covenant

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.

As a child in New Orleans, Mr. Lemann never attended a bar mitzvah or bris; he heard neither Yiddish nor Hebrew.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

They’ve gathered for a bris, a birthday party and a visit from Germany’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2022

But it managed to pay $500,000 to Giuliani, who served as godfather for Parnas’ newborn son and attended the bris in Boca Raton, Florida.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2019

You may be the baby’s mother, but your fiancé is the son of the lady who appears to be planning to toss you a “surprise” bris, and it’s absolutely his job to have this conversation.

From Slate • May 10, 2019

It was one of those Counts of Léon who so vigorously claimed his rights "de bris et d'épaves"—the laws of flotsam and jetsam—esteeming priceless as diamonds certain rocks upon which vessels were frequently wrecked.

From The Argosy Vol. 51, No. 3, March, 1891 by Wood, Charles W.

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