Mohelim

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Jewish ritual circumcisers who perform the ceremonial removal of the foreskin on infants; practitioners specializing in religious circumcision; individuals trained and authorized to carry out the traditional Jewish rite of circumcision
2. Specialists in the Jewish faith responsible for conducting ritual circumcisions on male infants; those who have received training to fulfill religious circumcision duties; experts authorized for ceremonial foreskin removal under Jewish law
3. Persons designated within Judaism to carry out the circumcision ritual for newborn boys; trained religious agents overseeing the ceremonial act; professionals entrusted with performing Jewish ritual circumcisions

Etymology: "Mohelim" is the plural of "mohel", the Hebrew term for a person trained to perform the ritual circumcision of Jewish boys, traditionally on the eighth day after birth. The singular comes from Hebrew "mohél", and the form most English speakers hear today is the Ashkenazi pronunciation, which reached English through Yiddish as "moyel". The Hebrew root behind the word is about being circumcised or performing circumcision, and the plural "mohelim" follows the Hebrew pattern for masculine plurals ending in "-im". English speakers often pluralise it again with an "s" ("mohels"), but the Hebrew plural is the form used in religious and community contexts.

Synonyms: circumcisers, ritual circumcisers