minyan
/mɪˈnaɪən//ˈmɪn.jən/
minyan noun: the minimum number of ten (male) adult Jews required for a communal religious service.
Noun (1)
minyan (plural minyanim or minyans)
- The minimum number of ten (male) adult Jews required for a communal religious service.
- So without my visit, if Simon didn't attend, a minyan would be hard to come by.2009, Charles London, Far from Zion, page 256
- As mourners cannot attend synagogue during shiva, a minyan gathers for morning, afternoon, and evening services in their home.2010, Ari Goldman, Living a Year of Kaddish: A Memoir, page 27
- A Jewish prayer service.
- New people assume leadership positions as required and stay around for as long as the minyan meets their needs.2009, Charles Simon, Building a Successful Volunteer Culture, page 137
- Tefillin are not used on Sabbaths and holidays, so unless you attend a minyan on weekday mornings or grew up in a home where men prayed daily, this practice may be unfamiliar to you.2012, Andrea Lieber, The Essential Guide to Jewish Prayer and Practices
Noun (2) capitalized: Minyan
Minyan (plural Minyans)
- A member of a race said to be autochthonous to the Aegean area.
Adjective capitalized: Minyan
Minyan (not comparable)
- Pertaining to the Minyans.
Proper noun capitalized: Minyan
Minyan
- A surname.
minyan meaning in Malayalam
minyan in Malayalam
- minyan, Jewish quorum
- മിനിയാൻ miniyāṉ
Forms of minyan
| plural | minyanim |
|---|---|
| plural | minyans |
| alternative form | minyen |
| alternative form | minyon |
| plural | Minyans |
Origin of minyan
From Hebrew מִנְיָן (minyán, “number, count, quorum”).
From Latin Minyes (from Ancient Greek Μινύες (Minúes)) + -an.
Words formed from minyan
Phrases with minyan
Words that rhyme with minyan
Questions about minyan
- What does minyan mean?
- Minyan means the minimum number of ten (male) adult Jews required for a communal religious service.
- What is minyan in Malayalam?
- Minyan in Malayalam is മിനിയാൻ (miniyāṉ). See Minyan meaning in Malayalam.
- What part of speech is minyan?
- Minyan can be a noun, an adjective or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce minyan?
- Minyan is pronounced /ˈmɪn.jən/ (UK).
- What is the plural of minyan?
- The plural of minyan is minyanim.
Words near minyan in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: minyan (page history and authors); Minyan (page history and authors); മിനിയാൻ (Malayalam) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-minyan.wav.
Cite this entry: “minyan.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/minyan. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.