noun
or ha·ham ḵäˈḵäm ; also cho·chem ˈḵȯḵəm
( plural haka·mim or haha·mim ˌḵäḵäˈmēm)
Etymology: Hebrew ḥākhām wise, wise man; chochem from Yiddish khokhem, from Hebrew ḥākhām
1. : one learned in Jewish Law : wise man ; specifically plural : the rabbinical interpreters of biblical law of the first two Christian centuries whose interpretations are recorded in the Mishnah and contemporary works
2. : a title given to a rabbi by the Sephardic Jews