Gaon

American  

[gah-ohn, gah-awn, gah-ohn, goin] / ˈgɑ oʊn, gɑˈɔn, ˈgɑ oʊn, gɔɪn /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• Gaonic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Gaon

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

The attention drawn to his yard this year and last year had thrown Gaon into a crisis, Jaynes said.

From Los Angeles Times