rebbetzin

R1E1B3B3E1T1Z10I1N1
/ˈɹɛbətsɪn/

noun

The wife of a rabbi.

OriginYiddish רביצין ← Hebrew רב ← Slavic →
UncommonScrabble 22
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Meanings

nounrebbetzin (plural rebbetzins)

plural rebbetzins

  1. JudaismThe wife of a rabbi.

    Sometimes when they could not get to Mendel, the women would come to her, to the rebbetzin, and she would bless them as well as she could, with the little wherewithal she brought to the task.

    2007, Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, 4th Estate (2010), page 216
  2. JudaismMrs.

Origin

  1. Yiddish־ין
  2. Slavic
  3. Hebrewרב“master”
  4. Yiddishרביצין
  5. Englishrebbetzin

Borrowed from Yiddish רביצין (rebetsin), from Hebrew רב (“master”) plus Slavic *-itsa (feminine suffix) plus Yiddish ־ין (-in, feminine suffix).

More words from Yiddish, Hebrew, Slavic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

rebbetzin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rebbetzin

MLA

“rebbetzin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rebbetzin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rebbetzin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rebbetzin.

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