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gab·bai

(gä-bī, gäbī′, gə-bī)

n. gab·ba·im (gä-bä-ēm, gä-bīĭm) or gab·bais

A person who assists in the running of a synagogue or its religious services, especially the reading of the Torah.

[Medieval Hebrew gabbay, synagogue treasurer, gabbai, from Mishnaic Hebrew, tax collector, local official, from gābā, to collect, from Aramaic gəbā, gəbi, to collect; see gbʾ in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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