Dictionary of Jewish usage : a guide to the use of Jewish terms /

This dictionary of common terms used in the Anglo-Jewish world brings clarity and comprehension to expressions from all aspects of Jewish life. Coverage includes explanations of concepts originating from both Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs, and terms from Biblical, Talmudic, Rabbinic, and Israeli Hebrew; the Jewish languages of Yiddish, Ladino, and Aramaic; and others. Entries appear in general dictionary format, but the author has sprinkled wonderful little asides with deeper explanations throughout the text, e.g., "leviathan: a word history," and "Yentl: the story of a name." The reader can look up related terms grouped together by topic, e.g., "wedding terms" or "mourning terms," rather than having to flip from one individual term to another. Steinmetz (Yeshiva Univ./Columbia Univ.), a lexicographer, linguist, and ordained rabbi, tackles the difficult issues of competing spellings and Romanization systems of Jewish words in the hopes of this work serving as a guide for standardization. The two appendixes outline the author's methods, bibliographical sources, and systems of Romanization employed; the index lists all terms found in the book. This work will be valuable for anyone interested in Jewish studies, and for students of religion, European history, and the Middle East. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. D. Mizrachi University of California, Los Angeles