matzo

American  

[maht-suh, mah-tsah, mah-tsaw] / ˈmɑt sə, mɑˈtsɑ, ˈmɑ tsɔ /

Or matzah,

noun

matzos, plural matzoth, plural matzot plural

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

2. one of these crackers.

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matzo British  

/ ˈmætˈsəʊ, ˈmætsə /

noun

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

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matzo Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• matzoth
  plural
• matzos
  plural
• matzot
  plural

Etymology

Origin of matzo

First recorded in 1840–50; from Yiddish matse, from Hebrew maṣṣāh

Explanation

Matzo is a cracker-like bread that's traditionally eaten during Passover. When matzo is ground into a flour, it can be used to make matzo balls for soup. During the Jewish holiday of Passover, observant Jews don't eat anything that's leavened, like yeast bread that rises before being baked. Matzo is a good, if crispy, substitute for bread, and it's unleavened. Matzo is also symbolic, representing both freedom and humility. It's sometimes spelled matzoh or matzah, from the Hebrew matztzah, "unleavened bread," or literally, "juiceless."