bar mitzvah: Meaning and Definition of

bar mitz•vah

Pronunciation: (bär mits'vu or, Ashk. Heb. bärSeph.Heb. bär&sec mēts&sylpvä'), [key]
— Judaism. (often caps.)Judaism.
  1. a solemn ceremony held in the synagogue, usually on Saturday morning, to admit as an adult member of the Jewish community a Jewish boy 13 years old who has successfully completed a prescribed course of study in Judaism.
  2. the boy participating in this ceremony.
  3. to administer the ceremony of bar mitzvah to:Cf. bat mitzvah. Our son was bar mitzvahed at the family synagogue.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.