chalaf

C3H4A1L1A1F4

noun

A knife used by Ashkenazi Jews in shehitah, the kosher slaughter of animals.

OriginYiddish חלף ← Hebrew חַלָּף →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounchalaf (plural chalafs or chalefim)

plural chalafs · plural chalefim

  1. A knife used by Ashkenazi Jews in shehitah, the kosher slaughter of animals.

    When Mr. Katz came back around to face me, he held a slaughterer’s chalaf. My breath escaped in a thin whimper before I could stop myself.

    2021, Aden Polydoros, The City Beautiful, Inkyard Press, →ISBN, page 301

Origin

  1. Hebrewחַלָּף
  2. Yiddishחלף
  3. Englishchalaf

Borrowed from Yiddish חלף (khalaf), from Hebrew חַלָּף (khaláf).

More words from Yiddish, Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chalaf. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chalaf

MLA

“chalaf.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chalaf. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chalaf,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chalaf.

Source: chalaf on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.