chametz

See also: Chametz

English

Alternative forms

• chamets, chometz, hamets, hametz

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew חָמֵץ (khaméts).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /χəˈmɛts/, /ˈχʌmɪts/, /ˈχɑːmɪts/

Noun

chametz (uncountable)

1. (Judaism) Food products made from leavened grain flour, which may not be consumed on Passover in Judaism.
   • 2010, Ronald Eisenberg, What the Rabbis Said: 250 Topics from the Talmud, p. 219:

     The eating of chametz (leavened products) is explicitly prohibited on Passover (Exod. 12:19–20; 13:3), for the Israelites “took their dough before it was leavened” (Exod. 12:34) and left Egypt in great haste.

   • 2011, Irving Greenberg, The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays, p. 43:

     A chametz-free total environment is the Passover goal, so any place where chametz was or might have been used during the year is thoroughly checked and cleaned lest any chametz has been left behind.