See Also: Wise, Isaac Mayer(encyclopedia)
wise(2)(dictionary)
Wise(medicine)
Three Wise Men, the(dictionary)
wise(3)(dictionary)
wise(4)(dictionary)
wise(5)(dictionary)
Mayer's reflex(medicine)
Mayer, Paul(medicine)
Mayer, Karl(medicine)

literally (oh) and Wise, Isaac Mayer (sh)


literally (oh)



according to the most basic or original meaning of a word or expression
::The name of the cheese is Dolcelatte, literally meaning 'sweet milk'.
::I said I felt like quitting, but I didn't mean it literally (=I did not mean exactly what I said) !
take sb/sth literally
to believe exactly what someone or something says rather than trying to understand their General meaning
::She takes the Bible literally.
used to emphasize that something, especially a large number, is actually true
::The Olympic Games were watched by literally billions of people.
spoken used to emphasize a strong expression or word that is not being used in its real or original meaning. Some people consider this use to be incorrect.
::Dad was literally blazing with anger.

Wise, Isaac Mayer (sh)




born March 29, 1819, Steingrub, Bohemia, Austrian Empire
died March 26, 1900, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

Rabbi and organizer of Reform Judaism in the U.S. After emigrating from Bohemia, in 1854 he accepted a pulpit in Cincinnati, a post he held the rest of his life.

He propagandized tirelessly for centralized Reform institutions and was instrumental in the formation of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, both of which he presided over. In 1857 he compiled a standard Reform prayer book, Minhag America. Though he failed to unite American Jews of all persuasions, he did bring about unanimity among Reform Jews.