dayan

[ Sephardic Hebrew dah-yahn; Ashkenazic Hebrew dah-yawn ]

/ Sephardic Hebrew dɑˈyɑn; Ashkenazic Hebrew dɑˈyɔn /

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noun, plural da·ya·nim

[Sephardic Hebrew dah-yah-neem; Ashkenazic Hebrew dah-yaw-nim]. /Sephardic Hebrew ˌdɑ yɑˈnim; Ashkenazic Hebrew dɑˈyɔ nɪm/. Hebrew.

a judge in a Jewish religious court.

a person knowledgeable in Talmudic law whose advice on religious questions is often sought by rabbis.

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Origin of dayan

dayyān judge

Words nearby dayan

dawsonite, Dax, day, day after day, Dayak, dayan, day and night, daybeacon, daybed, day blindness, daybook

Other definitions for dayan (2 of 2)

Dayan

[ dah-yahn ]

/ dɑˈyɑn /

noun

Mo·she

[maw-she; English moh-shuh], /mɔˈʃɛ; English ˈmoʊ ʃə/, 1915–81, Israeli politician and military leader: defense minister 1967–74, foreign minister 1977–79.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dayan in a sentence

Nowhere is Dayan suggesting that these Palestinians be granted Israeli citizenship.
What Salon Forgets to Ask Settler Activist Dani Dayan|Mira Sucharov|July 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He took several rising stars with him (including Shimon Peres, and Moshe Dayan).
Will Bibi Leave the Likud?|Brent E. Sasley|July 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
According to Dayan, the correct Israeli response to the Arab proposal should be to dismiss the very idea of land swaps.
Where Dayan Goes Wrong on the Arab Peace Initiative|Avishay Ben-Sasson|May 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yesterday Dani Dayan, head of the Council of Settlements, was interviewed on Israel Radio.
Subtlety, Mr. Obama, Doesn't Work|Gershom Gorenberg|December 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Defense Minister Moshe Dayan was the living symbol of Labor's claim that it had prevented war.
Guns, Generals and Votes|Gershom Gorenberg|November 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Although he bore the modest title of judge229 (Dayan), he yet performed the various functions of a Gaon.
History of the Jews, Vol. III (of 6)|Heinrich Graetz
The Dayan rose, came up and looked at her, took the letter, and began to read it silently to himself.
Yiddish Tales|Various
Yssil had once driven out with the town Dayan to a mill to guard wheat for Passover, and had there learned a few Polish words.
Stories and Pictures|Isaac Loeb Peretz
And no sooner had she got home, cooked the dinner, and fed the children, than she was off with the letter to the Dayan.
Yiddish Tales|Various
Of course, a Shochet sausage and a Dayan—no, that was very wrong!
Stories and Pictures|Isaac Loeb Peretz

British Dictionary definitions for dayan (1 of 2)

dayan

/ (dɑˈjɑn, ˈdɑjən) /

noun

Judaism a senior rabbi, esp one who sits in a religious court

Word Origin for dayan

from Hebrew, literally: judge

British Dictionary definitions for dayan (2 of 2)

Dayan

/ (daɪˈjɑːn) /

noun

Moshe (ˈmɒʃɛ). 1915–81, Israeli soldier and statesman; minister of defence (1967; 1969–74) and foreign minister (1977–79)

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