Masoret
/ˌmæsəˈrɛt/noun
A Hebrew term meaning tradition, especially the transmitted textual and reading tradition of the Hebrew Bible.
Did you know?The Masoretic tradition preserved not only consonantal text but also pronunciation, vowels, accents, and rules for reading the Hebrew Bible.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מָסוֹרֶת (masoret)
“Tradition, ordinance, or established practice”
Late Second Temple Period
Hebrew
מסורת (masoret)
“A received tradition or rule transmitted within a community”
Rabbinic Period
Hebrew
מָסוֹרֶת (masoret)
“An orally transmitted teaching or inherited religious tradition”
Medieval Judaism
Hebrew
מָסוֹרָה (masorah)
“The scholarly tradition preserving the exact biblical text and its reading”
19th Century
English
Masoret
“A scholarly English transliteration of the Hebrew term for tradition or textual transmission”
Modern English
English
Masoret
“A technical term referring to the inherited Hebrew biblical tradition, closely associated with the Masoretes”