hasid means A follower of Hasidism. It carries an Arena rating of 1319, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hasid ranks #4,922 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,739 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #6,747 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #7,046 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
hasid is pronounced /ˈxɑːsɪd/.
Why “hasid” is a great word
A follower of Hasidism, a mystical and revivalist movement within Orthodox Judaism that emphasizes divine immanence, joyous worship, and the spiritual authority of a rebbe. From Hebrew חָסִיד (ḥāsīḏ, "pious one"), from the root חסד (ḥesed, "loving-kindness"). First attested in English in 1812. Unlike "Haredi," a broad term for the strictly Orthodox, or "Mitnagdim," the historical opponents who championed scholastic rigor over charismatic fervor, a Hasid is bound to a specific dynastic court and its living tzaddik. It is the ecstatic sway of a man in prayer, the worn felt of a black frock coat, the whispered story of a rebbe's miracle carrying the scent of Sabbath wine—a piety woven not from argument, but from awe, in a community bound by a love that seeks to mend the world.
Etymology
From Hebrew חָסִיד (khasid).
noun
- A follower of Hasidism.e.g.“At Mulberry Central he got off and asked two passing Hasidim for directions to the progressive synagogue.” — 2002, Zadie Smith, The Autograph Man, Penguin Books (2003), page 400:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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