challah means A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov. It carries an Arena rating of 1503, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, challah ranks #1,061 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,382 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #3,025 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,423 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
challah is pronounced /ˈxɑ(ː).lə/.
Why “challah” is a great word
A traditional, often braided, egg-enriched bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath and holidays, or the portion of dough separated in accordance with the biblical commandment. From Hebrew ḥallá ('loaf'), via Yiddish khale, first attested in English circa 1873. Unlike brioche, a French indulgence of butter and dairy, or matzo, the austere, unleavened cracker of Passover, challah is a leavened and celebratory pillar of ritual. It is the burnished, saffron-gold crown on the Friday night table, the soft, yielding sweetness of a torn piece shared among family, and the lingering scent of yeast and sanctity in a quiet kitchen—a weekly alchemy of flour, egg, and time into a tangible blessing.
Etymology
From Hebrew חַלָּה (ḥallá, “loaf”), influenced by Yiddish חלה (khale).
noun
- A traditional bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews, usually braided for the Sabbath and round for a yom tov.
- The commandment to separate a portion of bread or bread dough for the cohanim (Numbers 15:17–21); in contemporary practice, the portion is burned until inedible.
- The portion separated in fulfillment of the above.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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