Rabbinical
/rəˈbɪnɪkəl/noun
Relating to rabbis, rabbinic law, or rabbinical scholarship.
Did you know?The Hebrew title rabbi originally meant “my master” or “my teacher,” reflecting a personal relationship between student and religious guide rather than merely an institutional rank.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*r-b-b
“A reconstructed Semitic root associated with greatness, abundance, or mastery.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
rav
“Great, chief, master, or teacher.”
Late Biblical/Mishnaic Hebrew
Hebrew
rabbi
“My master or my teacher; a respectful form of address.”
Talmudic Aramaic
Aramaic
rabbin
“Rabbis or teachers; the plural form underlying later European forms.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
rabbinus
“Of or relating to a rabbi; a learned Jewish teacher.”
16th–17th Century
English
rabbinical
“Relating to rabbis, their teachings, or Jewish legal scholarship.”