matzo

or mat·zah, mat·zoh

[maht-suh; Sephardic Hebrew mah-tsah; Ashkenazic Hebrew mah-tsaw]

noun, plural mat·zos, mat·zoth, mat·zot [maht-suh z; Sephardic Hebrew mah-tsawt; Ashkenazic Hebrew mah-tsohs] /ˈmɑt səz; Sephardic Hebrew mɑˈtsɔt; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˈmɑ tsoʊs/.

unleavened bread in the form of large crackers, typically square and corrugated, eaten by Jews during Passover.

one of these crackers.

Origin of matzo

1840–50; < Yiddish matse < Hebrew maṣṣāh

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for matzo

Contemporary Examples of matzo

I have never been to the Matzo Ball, but I gather the vibes are different.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots
Emily Shire
December 26, 2014
At the end of the brief talk, the robots served Obama and Netanyahu a piece of matzo in honor of the Passover holidays.
Snake Robots, Alternative Fuel & More Highlights From Obama’s Visit to the Israel Museum
Eli Lake
March 21, 2013
Once all the potatoes and onion have been ground up and mixed together in a bowl, add the eggs, matzo meal, and salt.
Mouth-Watering Potato Pancakes
Jacquelynn D. Powers
December 1, 2010
Before the search for the matzo begins, Cookstr presents a few modern twists on traditional Passover dishes.
What to Eat: Passover
Cookstr.com
March 23, 2010
Matzo ball soup is definitely American, but also Eastern European and Germanic and French.
Secrets of the Ultimate Jewish Mother
Sarah Whitman-Salkin
September 15, 2009

Historical Examples of matzo

But the old woman who remembered the matzo did, more than anybody else.
From Plotzk to Boston
Mary Antin
Feitel broke the "matzo" in halves, and gave one half to his friend.
Jewish Children
Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich
Tonight, you must eat with us fish and soup and 'Matzo'-balls.
Jewish Children
Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich
We had had neither bread nor matzo for dinner, and were more hungry than ever, if that is possible.
From Plotzk to Boston
Mary Antin
Feitel drew out from under his blouse a whole fresh, white "matzo," covered with holes on both sides.
Jewish Children
Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich

British Dictionary definitions for matzo

matzo

matzoh matza or matzah (ˈmætsə)

noun plural matzos, matzohs, matzas, matzahs or matzoth (Hebrew maˈtsɔt)

a brittle very thin biscuit of unleavened bread, traditionally eaten during Passover

Word Origin for matzo

from Hebrew matsāh

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

matzo in Culture

matzo

[(maht-suh)]

A flat piece of unleavened bread, resembling a large cracker, used by Jews (see also Jews) in place of yeast bread during Passover (see also Passover). According to the biblical account of Passover, God directed the ancestors of the Jews to eat unleavened bread, rather than delay their departure from Egypt (see also Egypt) by waiting for bread to rise.