Adonai
/ˌɑːdɒˈnaɪ/noun
A Hebrew title meaning 'my Lord,' used in Jewish tradition as a reverent substitute for the divine name.
Did you know?In Jewish reading tradition, Adonai is often said aloud in place of the unspoken Tetragrammaton, making it one of history’s most famous examples of a word used as ritual protection.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PSem
*ʔadōn-
“lord, master”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
אֲדֹנָי (ʾădōnāy)
“my Lord; a reverential plural form used for God”
Ancient Hebrew / Second Temple period
Hebrew
אֲדֹנָי
“spoken substitute for the divine name in scripture reading”
Greek Septuagint / Late Antiquity
Greek
κύριος (kyrios)
“Lord; used to render the Hebrew title in translation”
Latin / Medieval Christian tradition
Latin
Dominus
“Lord; title used in liturgy and biblical translation”
Modern English
English
Adonai
“a Hebrew name or title for God, especially in Jewish liturgical reading”