jewish

IPA/ˈdʒuːɪʃ/
KK[dʒˈuɪʃ]IPA/ˈdʒuːɪʃ/

jewish — adjective

  • jewishpositive
  • more jewishcomparative
  • most jewishsuperlative

1. relating to a group of people who follow the religion of Judaism and share its t

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

relating to a group of people who follow the religion of Judaism and share its traditions, customs, and history

Example

The museum has a special exhibition on Jewish history and culture in Europe.

collocation: Jewish history / Jewish culture

My neighbour Sara celebrates both Jewish and Chinese New Year with her family.

Common collocations
  • Jewish community
  • Jewish culture
  • Jewish history
  • Jewish tradition
  • Jewish family
  • Jewish holiday
  • Jewish people
  • Jewish faith

Usage Note

Always written with a capital J. This adjective is typically used before a noun: Jewish culture, Jewish tradition, Jewish community. For the religion as a system of belief, use 'Judaism' as a noun.

Common Mistakes

She is a Jewish.
She is Jewish.
'Jewish' is an adjective and cannot be used alone as a noun to refer to a person.
jewish tradition
Jewish tradition
Words derived from proper nouns are always capitalised in English.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Jewish, Hebrew, and Israeli are often confused but refer to different things. Jewish describes people, culture, or things connected to the religion Judaism or the Jewish people as a whole — you can have a Jewish community in London or a Jewish holiday. Hebrew refers specifically to the ancient language of the Jewish people (and the modern language of Israel) or to the ancient Israelites as a people — you study Hebrew at school, or read about Hebrew tribes in the Bible. Israeli refers to anything connected to the modern country of Israel, regardless of religion — an Israeli citizen may be Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. For example: 'My neighbour is Jewish and speaks Hebrew, but she is not Israeli — she was born in France.'

Jewish ↗Hebrew ↗Israeli ↗

Etymology

HebrewGreekLatinEnglish

Jewish comes from the Latin word Iudaeus and the Greek Ioudaios, which in turn come from the Hebrew word Yehudi, meaning 'of the tribe of Judah'. In ancient Israel, people from the tribe of Judah became known as Jews, and the word later came to describe anyone who follows the religion and traditions of Judaism.