כּלי־זמרklezmer meaning in Yiddish

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a (traditional Jewish) musician · noun, masculine (plural: כּלי־זמרים, klezmorim)

Also spelled in English: klezmorim, klesmer

Illustration for the Yiddish word klezmer

At a shtetl wedding, they hired klezmorim: four tired men with a fiddle, a clarinet, and a drum, who showed up late and then ran the whole night.

די כּלי־זמרים זײַנען געקומען אַ שעה שפּעטער, און די חתונה האָט זיך ערשט דעמאָלט אָנגעהויבן.

“The klezmorim showed up an hour late, and only then did the wedding actually start.”

Who is the best klezmer you have ever heard play live?

Yiddish words for people and characters Yiddish words for music, parties and entertainment

Published 3 November 2026

Yaacov, native Jerusalemite

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