Chacham
/χaˈχam/noun
A Jewish sage or learned religious scholar, especially in Sephardi and Mizrahi usage.
Did you know?In Sephardi Jewish communities, the title Hakham could designate a chief rabbi; in the Ottoman Empire, Hakham Bashi meant the officially recognized chief rabbi.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ḥ-k-m
“Reconstructed root associated with wisdom, judgment, and the exercise of sound understanding.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
חָכָם (ḥākām)
“Wise, skilled, or learned; as a noun, a wise person or sage.”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
חָכָם (ḥakham)
“A sage or learned teacher, especially an authority in Jewish law and tradition.”
Medieval Jewish usage
Judeo-Arabic/Ladino
ḥakham / hakham
“A Jewish religious scholar or rabbi; the form spread through Sephardi and Middle Eastern Jewish communities.”
19th Century
English
chacham
“An English transliteration used for a Jewish sage or rabbinic scholar, particularly in writings about Sephardi Judaism.”
Modern English
English
chacham
“A learned Jewish religious authority or sage.”