Adonai
English
Etymology
From Hebrew אֲדֹנָי (ādônay, “My Lord”); used in place of the Tetragrammaton YHWH as a name of the God of the Hebrews during prayer recitation. In many christian languages the same word is used for "Mr." and "My Lord" addressing God, e.g. German Herr, Portuguese Senhor, Greek κύριος (kýrios), Serbo-Croatian Gospod. See also Notre Dame.
Pronunciation
Usage notes
YHWH, the true name of the Abrahamic God, is usually read by Jews as "Adonai" while praying or reading the Torah. Similarly, the word "Adonai" is usually restricted to this use and is replaced by Hashem ("The Name") in ordinary speech. This use has been followed in other languages since at least the surviving texts of the Septuagint, with the Vulgate employing "Dominus" and most English translations of the Bible employing the Lord or the LORD for instances of the name YHWH in the Hebrew text.
Derived terms
Translations
References
- Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "Adonai, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2011.
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌa.do.ˈnaj/