Meanings
nounbar mitzvah (plural bar mitzvahs or b'nai mitzvah)
plural bar mitzvahs · plural b'nai mitzvah · alternative bar-mitzvah
- JudaismA Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys.
- JudaismA boy who has come of age.
verbbar mitzvah (third-person singular simple present bar mitzvahs, present participle bar mitzvahing, simple past and past participle bar mitzvahed)
present singular third person bar mitzvahs · participle present bar mitzvahing · participle past bar mitzvahed · past bar mitzvahed · alternative bar-mitzvah
- transitiveusually passive voiceTo initiate someone in a bar mitzvah ceremony.
He was bar mitzvahed at the Kotel.
Origin
From Hebrew בר מצווה / בַּר מִצְוָה (literally “of the age of mitzvah”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 成人禮 /成人礼, 受誡禮 /受诫礼
- 成人禮 /成人礼Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- 受誡禮 /受诫礼Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- 成年男子 (chéngnián nánzǐ)boy who has come of age
- 已行成人禮的男孩 /已行成人礼的男孩boy who has come of age
- 為...舉行成人禮 /为...举行成人礼 (wèi... jǔxíng chéngrénlǐ)initiate someone in a bar mitzvah ceremony
Esperanto barmicvo
- barmicvoJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
Finnish bar mitsva, bar mitsva
- bar mitsvaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- bar mitsvaboy who has come of age
- tulla bar mitsvaksiinitiate someone in a bar mitzvah ceremony
French bar-mitsva, bar-mitsvah
- bar-mitsvaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- bar-mitsvahJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- Bar MitzvaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- Bar MitzvahJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- bar mitzvahJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
German Bar-Mizwa, Bar Mizwa
- Bar-MizwaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- Bar MizwaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- Bar MitzwaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
Hebrew בר מצווה \ בַּר מִצְוָה, בר מצווה \ בַּר מִצְוָה
- בר מצווה \ בַּר מִצְוָה (bar mitsvá)Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- בר מצווה \ בַּר מִצְוָה (bar mitsvá)boy who has come of age
Polish bar micwa
- bar micwaJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
Portuguese bar mitzvah, bar mitzvah
- bar mitzvahJewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- bar mitzvahboy who has come of age
Russian бар ми́цва, бар-мицва
- бар ми́цва (bar mícva)Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- бар-мицва (bar-micva)Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys
Yiddish בר־מיצווה, בר־מיצווה
- בר־מיצווה (bar-mitsve)Jewish coming of age ceremony for boys
- בר־מיצווה (bar-mitsve)boy who has come of age
Cite this entry
APA
bar mitzvah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bar%20mitzvah
MLA
“bar mitzvah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bar%20mitzvah. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bar mitzvah,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bar%20mitzvah.
Source: bar mitzvah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.