heter

H4E1T1E1R1

noun

Special permission from a rabbi to break a commandment.

OriginHebrew הֶתֵּר →
UncommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounheter (plural heterim)

plural heterim

  1. JudaismSpecial permission from a rabbi to break a commandment.

    What comes to mind is the famous issue on ZIM SHIPPING - an Israeli company owned by Jews and they tried to get a heter for running their ships on Shabbos.

    1995 February 3, YOSEF KAZEN, “Petitions, Acceptance, and Moshiach”, in soc.culture.jewish (Usenet)

Origin

  1. Hebrewהֶתֵּר“permission”
  2. Englishheter

Borrowed from Hebrew הֶתֵּר (hetér, “permission”).

More words from Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

therethreeetherEhretReethrethetheer
Cite this entry
APA

heter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heter

MLA

“heter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heter.

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