ˈka(a)rəˌizəm noun
or kara·it·ism -rəˌīd.ˌizəm
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: karaism from kara- (from Late Hebrew qĕrāīm Karaites, from Hebrew qārā to read) + -ism; karaitism from karaite + -ism
: a Jewish doctrine originating in Baghdad in the 8th century that rejects rabbinism and talmudism and bases its tenets on interpretation of the Scriptures