noun pl. Sephardim Se·phar′·dim (sə fär′dim, -fär′dēm′)

1. a member of the group of Jews that lived in Spain and Portugal before the Inquisition and, after expulsion, in the Ottoman Empire, Middle East, and N Africa
2. a descendant of this group

Etymology: Heb sefaradi, after sefarad, a region mentioned in Ob. 20, often identified with Spain, but prob. orig. an area in Asia Minor