sabra

views updated May 14 2018

sa·bra / ˈsäbrə/ • n. a Jew born in Israel (or before 1948 in Palestine).

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Sabra

views updated May 21 2018

SABRA

Word ultimately derived from the Arabic for a variety of prickly pear found in Israel; also the name for a native-born Israeli.

Native-born Israelis are described as Sabras because their personality is often thought to be similar to the fruit of the plant: tough and prickly on the outside, sweet on the inside.

bryan daves

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa Daves, Bryan

sabra

views updated May 11 2018

sabra a Jew born in Israel (or before 1948 in Palestine). The word comes from modern Hebrew ṣabbār ‘opuntia fruit’ (opuntias being common in coastal regions of Israel).

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

Sabra

views updated May 17 2018

SABRA

From the Hebrew word tsabar, which means, in reference to cactus or the fruit of the Barbary fig tree, "sweet inside, under a prickly skin." By extension, this word is used to designate a Jew born in Israel, as opposed to immigrants.

Dictionary of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

sabra

views updated May 18 2018

sabra Israeli name for the prickly pear. Also an Israeli liqueur flavoured with bitter oranges and chocolate.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER

SABRA

views updated Jun 08 2018

SABRA (ˈsæbrə) South African Bureau of Racial Affairs

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH