# der Bocher

der Bocher is a German noun meaning “rabbinical student”. Forms: des Bochers, die Bocherim.

## Forms

- Genitive: des Bochers
- Plural: die Bocherim

## Meanings

1. young man who has not yet reached adulthood; youngling, youngster, youth
   - Ich war ein Bocher von fünfzehn Jahren, als der Vater mir das Bündel auf den Rücken hing und sagte: ›Geh verdienen.‹ — I was a fifteen-year-old youngster when my father packed my bags and said: “Go and [start to] earn [your own money].”
2. _Southern-Germany · colloquial · dialectal_ Jewish young man who has not yet reached adulthood; Jewish youngling, Jewish youngster, Jewish youth, young Jew
   - Ihr Vater, ein Sopher, hatte sich keinen andern Tochtermann gewünscht, als Musje Itzig, der allenfalls ein feiner Bocher, aber ein grober Junge war. — Her father, a sofer, had not wished for any other husband for his daughter than Musje Itzig who at best was a fine Jewish youngster but a coarse boy.”
3. rabbinical student
   - Hätten wir bei ihren Lebzeiten erkannt, was wir an ihnen besaßen, so hätten wir den Strumpfwirker und den Spenglergehilfen zu Ministern, den Bäckerlehrling zum Bäckermeister und den Bocher wenigstens zum Oberrabbiner ernannt. — If only we had known in their lifetimes what we had of them, then we would have appointed the hosier and the plumber's assistant to ministers, the baker's apprentice to the master baker, and the rabbinical student to the chief rabbi.
4. _colloquial_ student
   - Bis zu zwanzig Jahren war Löwy ein Bocher, der studierte und seines wohlhabenden Vaters Geld ausgab. — Up until his twentieth year Löwy was a student who studied and spent the money of his wealthy father.
5. _Bavarian · Palatine · dialectal_ poor Jewish student
6. _Southern-Germany · dialectal_ Jewish (male) teacher
7. _dialectal_ rabbi of the village
   - Indem kam der Fremdenführer aus der Synagoge, erkannte uns sofort wieder - […] nahm uns in Beschlag, ließ den Bocher stehen, der uns verwundert nachsah. — Meanwhile the tourist guide came out of the synagogue and recognised us immediately - […] monopolized us, left the village rabbi standing who looked after us in astonishment.
8. _colloquial_ experienced police officer
9. _colloquial_ police officer who is well versed in thieves and their “Gaunersprache” (≈ thieves' argot)
10. _Palatine · dialectal_ Jewish bridegroom
11. _Alsatian · dialectal_ clumsy, inept, simple-minded person
12. _colloquial_ experienced / skillful police officer
13. _colloquial_ officer thief thieves’ argot

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Sources: Meanings and forms from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).
URL: https://wordwide.space/de-en/wort/Bocher