maggid means A teacher of the Torah in Eastern Europe. It carries an Arena rating of 1392, earned across 71 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, maggid ranks #4,206 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #5,232 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,582 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #6,368 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
Why “maggid” is a great word
MAGGID — [Noun] A traditional Jewish itinerant preacher, particularly in Eastern Europe, who expounds on biblical and ethical texts through parables and stories. From Hebrew מַגִּיד (maggīḏ), meaning 'teller' or 'narrator', from the root נגד (ngd), meaning 'to tell' or 'to declare'. Unlike a rabbi—an ordained scholar and legal authority rooted in a community—or a lecturer—a secular purveyor of information—a maggid is a vessel for portable wisdom, a moral wayfarer whose authority flows from narrative and exhortation. He is the scent of damp wool and woodsmoke in a village shul, the urgent hush that falls when a story begins, and the flickering shadow of a gestured hand against a wall—a temporary light carried from town to town, proving that truth, to be felt, must first be given a face and a journey.
Etymology
From Hebrew מַגִּיד.
noun
- A teacher of the Torah in Eastern Europe.e.g.“כוח התפילה של רבי שלמה חוזר בצורה רכה ומתונה יותר באחד התלמידים הצעירים ביותר של המגיד הגדול, רבי ישראל המגיד מקוזניץ.” — 1947, Martin Buber, “Introduction”, in Olga Marx, transl., Tales of the Hasidim, third edition, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, published 1991, →ISBN, section 6, page 31:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- aggadah 61% match — A homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical text in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash. A parable that demonstrates a point of the Law in the Talmud. vs maggid →
- nagid 60% match — A Hebrew prince or leader, especially the religious leader in Sephardic communities of the Middle Ages. vs maggid →
- aggadic 57% match — Of or pertaining to the Aggadah. vs maggid →
- magilla 55% match — Something large or elaborate. vs maggid →
- gadol 55% match — An eminent, highly respected rabbi, esp. of the past. vs maggid →
- talmid 54% match — A disciple vs maggid →
- megillah 53% match — Any of the Five Scrolls of the Hebrew Scriptures (Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther) vs maggid →
- rabbi 53% match — A Jewish scholar or teacher of halacha (Jewish law), capable of making halachic decisions. vs maggid →