Rabbinate
/ˈræb.ɪ.nət/noun
The office, authority, or collective body of rabbis.
Did you know?Rabbi originally contained the Hebrew possessive suffix meaning “my,” so the title literally addressed someone as “my master” or “my teacher.”
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רַב (rav)
“Great, master, or teacher”
Late Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew
Hebrew
רַבִּי (rabbi)
“My master or my teacher; an honorific title”
Talmudic period
Aramaic
רַבִּי (rabbī)
“Rabbi, master, or authoritative teacher”
Medieval Latin
Latin
rabbinatus
“The office or status of a rabbi”
19th Century
English
rabbinate
“The office, jurisdiction, or collective body of rabbis”
Modern English
English
rabbinate
“Rabbinic authority or the organized body of rabbis”