bris
UK[brɪs]US[brɪs]
n
The Jewish religious rite of circumcision performed on a male child on the eighth day after his birth.
Etymology
The word 'bris' entered English directly from Yiddish, the historical language of Ashkenazi Jews, in the late 19th to early 20th century. Its ultimate origin is the Biblical Hebrew term 'bərīṯ,' which signifies a formal agreement or covenant, most importantly the covenant between God and Abraham described in the Book of Genesis. In that covenant, circumcision was instituted as its physical sign. Therefore, through Yiddish, the Hebrew word for "covenant" became the English term specifically for the ritual that embodies and confirms that ancient pact.
Analysis
This word is a loanword from Yiddish (בּרית), which itself derives from the Hebrew word 'bərīṯ' (בְּרִית), meaning "covenant."
Examples
The entire family gathered for the baby's bris.
A mohel is specially trained to perform the bris.
The bris is followed by a celebratory meal known as a seudat mitzvah.