rabbi

The English word 'rabbi' was adopted in the late Old English period, directly from the Hebrew honorific title 'rabbī,' meaning "my master." This Hebrew term itself is built on the root 'rav,' denoting greatness or authority, and a possessive suffix, indicating a personal relationship of discipleship. The title was used in ancient Judea for respected teachers and interpreters of Jewish law, a role famously embodied in the Gospels. As it entered European languages via Greek and Latin transliterations, the term retained its core meaning, evolving in English to specifically denote an ordained Jewish scholar or the spiritual leader of a congregation, thus preserving the original semantic link to authoritative teaching and guidance.

The word 'rabbi' is a loanword from Hebrew (רַבִּי, rabbī), meaning "my master" or "my teacher." It is derived from the Hebrew root רַב (rav), meaning "great" or "master," combined with the first-person singular possessive suffix י (-ī), meaning "my." In its transition into English, it is treated as an unsegmentable simplex noun.