1. An institute of learning where students study sacred texts, primarily the Talmud.
2. An elementary or secondary school with a curriculum that includes religion and culture as well as general education.

[Hebrew yəšîbâ, from yāšab, to sit.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.