Since the rishonic period, many great rabbis,[1] whether or not they head academies, are often lauded with this honorific as a mark of respect; for example, one may refer to Ovadia Yosef as "HaGaon Ovadia Yosef".
[citation needed] Modern Hebrew reuses the word as an equivalent for "genius" based on phonetic similarity.
It may have originated as a shortened version of "Rosh Yeshivat Ge'on Ya'akov", although there are alternative explanations.
[2][3] In Ancient Hebrew, it referred to arrogance and haughty pride (Amos 6:8 – "I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.")
Prominent Geonim include: A honorific title given to a few leading rabbis of other countries in the same period, such as: Specific rabbis of later periods, called "gaon," include: