Sephardi

[ suh-fahr-dee, suh-fahr-dee. ]

/ səˈfɑr di, sə fɑrˈdi. /

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noun, plural Se·phar·dim

[suh-fahr-dim, -fahr-deem] /səˈfɑr dɪm, -fɑrˈdim/

a member of the diasporic Jewish population that settled in Spain and Portugal, distinguished from the Ashkenazim and from other Jewish communities chiefly by liturgy, religious customs, and pronunciation of Hebrew: after expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492, the Sephardim established communities in North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere.

adjective

Also Se·phar·dic [suh-fahr-dik] /səˈfɑr dɪk/ . of or relating to the diasporic Jewish population that settled in Spain and Portugal and later dispersed to North Africa, the Balkans, Western Europe, and elsewhere, or to the culture, liturgy, or variety of Hebrew used by these Jews.

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Origin of Sephardi

First recorded in 1850–55; from Modern Hebrew Səphāraddīm, plural of Səphāraddī, equivalent to Hebrew Səphāradh, a region mentioned in Bible (Obadiah 20), probably in northern Asia Minor, but later interpreted to be Spain + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin

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

How to use Sephardi in a sentence

Jews of Sephardic origin were protected by a law of 1924 that granted them Spanish citizenship.
The Week in Death: Suzanne Gelleri Dear|The Telegraph|December 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yosef was a leader in religious outreach, and brought thousands of Sephardic Jews back into the religious fold.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Israel’s Pragmatic Kingmaker|Jay Michaelson|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To millions of Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews around the world, he was a hero.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Israel’s Pragmatic Kingmaker|Jay Michaelson|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her words were warmly received by the Speaker of the Knesset, a politician from Shas, the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party.
Religion And State In Ruth Calderon's Knesset Speech|Zachary Braiterman|February 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The decisive faction here might be the Shas party, which represents the large Sephardic population.
Israel’s Religious Zionist Vs. Ultra-Orthodox Rift|Rabbi Daniel Landes|February 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Sephardic Jews in all these respects occupied a superior position, and they merited the partiality shown to them.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
For over thirty-five years he remained the spiritual chief of the Sephardic Jews in this country.
Montreal 1535-1914, Volume II (of 2)|William Henry Atherton
Ten congregations at least were soon formed here, the most of Sephardic origin.
History of the Jews, Vol. IV (of VI)|Heinrich Graetz
These Jews, true to their religious instincts, built synagogues wherever they settled and were called Sephardic Congregations.
On the Trail of The Immigrant|Edward A. Steiner
His daughter was to be married under the Sephardic canopy, and no jot of synagogual honour was to be bated the bridegroom.
The King of Schnorrers|Israel Zangwill

British Dictionary definitions for Sephardi

Sephardi

/ (sɪˈfɑːdiː) /

noun plural -dim (-dɪm) Judaism

a Jew of Spanish, Portuguese, or North African descent
(loosely) any Oriental Jew

the pronunciation of Hebrew used by these Jews, and of Modern Hebrew as spoken in Israel

(modifier) of or pertaining to the Sephardim, esp to their liturgy and ritual

(modifier) of or pertaining to the liturgy adopted by certain European, esp Chassidic, communities who believe it to be more authentic but nonetheless differing from the genuine Oriental liturgy

Compare Ashkenazi

Derived forms of Sephardi

Sephardic, adjective

Word Origin for Sephardi

C19: from Late Hebrew, from Hebrew sepharad a region mentioned in Obadiah 20, thought to have been Spain

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