Definitions

  • n. The core, essential part.

  • adj. Urgent, pressing.

  • adj. Essential.

Example Sentences

  • “The ikar of winning at baseball is probably the batting, not the pitching.” (Weiser)

  • “Do this Tosfos first since it's the ikar.” (Weiser)

  • “The ikar point in that Tosfos is right in the middle.” (Weiser)

  • "Forget all the details, just tell us the iker." (Glinert)

  • "The whole world is a very narrow bridge. And the ikar is to have no fear whatsoever." (Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav)

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH עיקר > Y עיקר iker

    • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      iker

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