midrash

[ Sephardic Hebrew mee-drahsh; Ashkenazic Hebrew mi-drahsh ]

noun,plural mid·ra·shim [Sephardic Hebrew mee-drah-sheem; Ashkenazic Hebrew mi-draw-shim], /Sephardic Hebrew mi drɑˈʃim; Ashkenazic Hebrew mɪˈdrɔ ʃɪm/, mid·ra·shoth, mid·ra·shot, mid·ra·shos [Sephardic Hebrew mee-drah-shawt; Ashkenazic Hebrew mi-draw-shohs]. /Sephardic Hebrew mi drɑˈʃɔt; Ashkenazic Hebrew mɪˈdrɔ ʃoʊs/.
  1. an early Jewish interpretation of or commentary on a Biblical text, clarifying or expounding a point of law or developing or illustrating a moral principle.

  2. (initial capital letter) a collection of such interpretations or commentaries, especially those written in the first ten centuries a.d.

Origin of midrash

1
First recorded in 1605–15, midrash is from the Hebrew word midrāsh literally, exposition

Other words from midrash

  • mid·rash·ic [mid-rash-ik], /mɪdˈræʃ ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby midrash

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British Dictionary definitions for midrash

midrash

/ (ˈmɪdræʃ, Hebrew miˈdraʃ) /


nounplural midrashim (mɪˈdrɔʃɪm, Hebrew midraˈʃim) Judaism
  1. a homily on a scriptural passage derived by traditional Jewish exegetical methods and consisting usually of embellishment of the scriptural narrative

  2. one of a number of collections of such homilies composed between 400 and 1200 ad

Origin of midrash

1
C17: from Hebrew: commentary, from darash to search

Derived forms of midrash

  • midrashic (mɪdˈræʃɪk), adjective

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