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{{redirect|Plotz|the municipality|Plötz|the surname|Ploetz}}{{mergefrom|Yiddish words used in English|date=January 2024}}{{short description|none}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}{{more citations needed|date=April 2020}}This is a list of words that have entered the English language from the Yiddish language, many of them by way of American English. There are differing approaches to the romanization of Yiddish orthography (which uses the Hebrew alphabet); thus, the spelling of some of the following words may be variable (for example, {{transliteration|yi|shlep}} is a variant of {{transliteration|yi|schlep}}, and {{transliteration|yi|shnozz}}, {{transliteration|yi|schnoz}}).Many of these words are more common in the American entertainment industry (initially via vaudeville), the Catskills/Borscht Belt, and New York City English. A number of Yiddish words also entered English via large Jewish communities in Britain, particularly London, where Yiddish has influenced Cockney English.

Background

Yiddish is a Germanic language, originally spoken by Jews in Central and later Eastern Europe, written in the Hebrew alphabet, and containing a substantial substratum of Hebrew words as well as numerous loans from Slavic languages.WEB,weblink Bartleby.com: Great Books Online – Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more, bartleby.com, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050330weblink">weblink 16 October 2007, For that reason, some of the words listed originated in Hebrew or Slavic languages, but have entered English via Yiddish.Yiddish is closely related to modern German, and many Yiddish words have German cognates; in some cases it is difficult to tell whether a particular word was borrowed from Yiddish or from German. Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet, and Yiddish words may be transliterated into Latin spelling in a variety of ways; the transliterated spelling of Yiddish words and the conventional spelling of German are usually different, but the pronunciations are frequently the same (e.g., in Yiddish is pronounced the same way as in German).Many of these words have slightly different meanings and usage in English from the Yiddish originals. For example, chutzpah usually has a negative connotation in Yiddish, meaning improper audacity, while in English it is more positive. In Yiddish, is usually a transitive verb for carrying (or dragging) something else, while the English word, schlep, is also used as an intransitive verb, for dragging oneself, and as a noun for an insignificant person or hanger-on. In Yiddish, means 'slip', while in English, glitch means malfunction.

List of words

{{citation style|section|details=External links do not belong in body text; also, Bartleby/AHD links are broken|date=March 2017}}These English words of Yiddish origin, except as noted, are in the online editions of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (AHD), or the Merriam-Webster dictionary (MW). The parentheses-enclosed information at the end of each word's entry starts with the original Yiddish term in Hebrew script, the Latin script transliteration, and the literal English translation (if different from the English definition given earlier). This may be followed by additional relevant languages (mostly Hebrew and German). One or more dictionary references appear at the end.File:Chocolate-Gold-Coins.jpg|thumb|180px|Gelt ]]File:Lower East Side - Schimmel Knish 2.jpg|thumb|180px|KnishKnishFile:Latkes.jpg|thumb|180px|LatkesLatkes{{List TOC Letters|x2= B|x3= C|x4= D|x6= F|x7= G|x8= H|x11= K|x12= L|x13= M|x14= N|x16= P|x19= S|x20= T|x22= V|x25= Y|x26= Z}}

B

• Bagel: A ring-shaped bread roll made by boiling or steaming, and then baking, the dough (from , from Old High German boug with diminutive -el suffix; OED, MW).
• Blintz: A sweet cheese-filled crepe (, from (plural); weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170714212648weblink">AHD).
• Bris: The circumcision of a male child. (, from ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|boychik}}Boychik: Boy, young man. (English boy + Eastern Yiddish: , diminutive suffix (from Slavic); weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050232weblink">AHD)
• {{anchor|Bupkis}}Bupkis (also Bupkes, Bupkus, Bubkis, Bubkes): Emphatically nothing, as in 'He isn't worth bupkis' (; of uncertain origin (OED); perhaps originally meaning '[goat] droppings', from a word meaning 'beans', of Slavic origin)NEWS, Horwitz, Bert, A Hill of Bupkis,weblink The Jewish Daily Forward, New York, 19 August 2005, 28 November 2010, (MW, OED)

C

• Chutzpah {{IPAc-en|ˈ|x|ÊŠ|t|s|p|É™}}: Nerve, gall, guts, balls, daring, self-confidence, audacity, effrontery (, from Hebrew; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070328215648weblink">AHD)

D

• Daven: To recite Jewish liturgical prayers (; AHD)
• Dreck: Worthless, distasteful, or nonsensical material (, from Middle High ; cognate with German: ; AHD)
• Dybbuk: The malevolent spirit of a dead person that enters and controls a living body until exorcised (; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050157weblink">AHD)
• Dreidel: , a four-sided spinning top (OED)

F

• {{anchor|Fleishig}}Fleishig: Made with meat (, from {{transliteration|yi|fleysh}}, 'meat'; cf. German: ; MW)

G

• {{anchor|Ganef|Gonif}}Ganef or Gonif: A thief, scoundrel, rascal (, from Hebrew: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050227weblink">AHD)
• Gelt {{IPAc-en|g|É›|l|t}}: Money in general; also the chocolate coins given to children on Hanukkah (; cognate with German: ; related to 'gold'; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050202weblink">AHD)
• Glitch: A minor malfunction (, from ; cf. German: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050147weblink">AHD)
• Golem: A man-made humanoid; an android, Frankenstein monster (, from Hebrew: ; OED, MW)
• Goy: A gentile, term for someone not of the Jewish faith or people (; plural or ; from Hebrew: or , plural of ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071217071625weblink">AHD)

H

• {{anchor|Haimish}}Haimish (also Heimish) {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|eɪ|m|ɪ|ʃ}}: Home-like, friendly, folksy (; cf. German: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070421103000weblink">AHD).

K

• Kibitz {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɪ|b|ɪ|t|s}}: To offer unwanted advice, e.g. to someone playing cards; to converse idly, hence a kibitzer, gossip (; cf. German: , may be related to German: ; OED, MW)
• Klezmer, instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe (OED)
• {{anchor|klutz}}(Wikt:klutz|Klutz): A clumsy person (; cf. German: ; OED, MW)
• Knish {{IPAc-en|k|É™|ˈ|n|ɪ|ʃ}}: A doughy snack stuffed with potato, meat, or cheese (, from ; MW, AHD)
• Kosher: Correct according to Jewish law, normally used in reference to Jewish dietary laws; (slang) appropriate, legitimate (originally from ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050222weblink">AHD)
• {{anchor|Kvell}}(wiktionary:kvell|Kvell): To express great pleasure combined with pride (, from an old Germanic word; cognate with German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Kvetch}}(Wikt:kvetch|Kvetch) {{IPAc-en|k|É™|ˈ|v|É›|tʃ}}: to complain habitually, gripe; as a noun, a person who always complains (; cognate with German: ; OED, MW)See also Wex, Michael. Born to Kvetch. St. Martin's Press, New York, 2005. There is also a connection{{vague|date=December 2018}} to the Hebrew and Aramaic (Wikt:radix|radix) "k.w.z",{{Clarify|date=April 2019|reason=There is no 'w'; is this supposed to be קוז, 'k v z'?}} meaning "squeeze".BOOK, Avraham, Even-Shoshan, Avraham Even-Shoshan, HaMilon HeHadash (Even-Shoshan Dictionary, The New Dictionary), 1966, he, Kiriat-sefer, 978-9651701559,

L

• Latke {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɑː|t|k|É™}}: Potato pancake, especially during Hanukkah (, from or ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050237weblink">AHD)
• Litvak: A Lithuanian Jew or a dialect of Yiddish used by Lithuanian Jews (; OED)
• Lox: Cured salmon, sometimes referred to as Nova, often used loosely to refer to smoked salmon (; cf. German: ; OED, MW)

M

• Mamzer: Bastard (from Yiddish/Hebrew: ; OED)
• (wikt:maven|Maven): Expert, aficionado (, from Hebrew: ; OED, MW)
• Mazel tov, also Mazal tov: Congratulations! (, from Hebrew : or 'luck' + ; OED, MW:Hebrew)
• {{anchor|Megillah}}Megillah: A tediously detailed discourse (, from ; OED, MW). Usually used in American English as "the whole Megillah" meaning an overly extended explanation or story.WEB,weblink World Wide Words: The whole megillah, World Wide Words,
• Mensch: An upright person; a decent human being (; cognate with German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Meshuga}}Meshuga, also Meshugge, Meshugah, Meshuggah {{IPAc-en|m|É™|ˈ|ʃ|ÊŠ|g|É™}}: Crazy (, from Hebrew: ; OED, MW). Also used as the nouns meshuggener and meshuggeneh for a crazy man and woman, respectively.
• {{anchor|meshugaas|meshegas}}Meshugaas, also Mishegaas or Mishegoss {{IPAc-en|m|ɪ|ʃ|É™|ˈ|g|ɑː|s}}: Crazy or senseless activity or behavior; craziness (, from Hebrew: , a form of the above; OED, AHD)
• {{anchor|Milchig}}Milchig: made with milk (, from ; cf. German: ; MW)
• Minyan: The quorum of ten adult (i.e., age 13 or older) Jews that is necessary for the holding of a public worship service; in Orthodox Judaism ten adult males are required, while in Conservative and Reform Judaism ten adults of either sex are required. (, from Hebrew: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Mishpocha}}Mishpocha {{IPAc-en|m|ɪ|ʃ|ˈ|p|É’|x|É™}}: relative or extended family member (, from Hebrew: ; OED)

N

• {{anchor|Naches}}Naches {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɑː|x|É™|s}}: The feeling of pride and/or gratification in 1: the achievements of another; 2. one's own doing good by helping someone or some organization (, from Hebrew: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Narrischkeit}}Narrischkeit {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɑː|r|ɪ|ʃ|k|aɪ|t}}: Foolishness, nonsense (, from + ; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Nebbish}}Nebbish, also Nebbich: An insignificant, pitiful person; a nonentity (from interjection , perhaps from Czech nebohý or other Slavic source; OED, weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070930025103weblink">MW)
• {{anchor|Noodge}}Noodge, also Nudzh: To pester, nag, whine; as a noun, a pest, whiner, or anxious person (, from Polish nudzić 'to bore' or Russian nudit' 'to wear out'; OED)
• {{anchor|Nosh}}Nosh: Snack (noun or verb) (; cf. German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Nu}}Nu: A multipurpose interjection analogous to "well?", "so?", or "so what?" (, perhaps akin to Russian: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Nudnik}}Nudnik: A pest, "pain in the neck"; a bore (, from the above ; cf. Polish: ; OED, MW)

O

• Oy or Oy vey: An interjection of grief, pain, or horror ( or 'oh, woe!'; cf. German: ; OED)

P

• Pareve {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɑː|r|É™|v}}: Containing neither meat nor dairy products (; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|pisher}}Pisher: a nobody, an inexperienced person (, from ; cf. German: or dialectal German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Potch}}Potch also Petch: Spank, slap, smack (; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Plotz}}Plotz: To burst from strong emotion; often used humorously to express minor shock or disappointment (; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Putz}}Putz: (vulgar) A penis, term used as an insult (; AHD). Also an insignificant person, incompetent, or loser. As a verb, to idle, bodge, goof off.

S

• Schav: A chilled soup made of sorrel. (, from Polish: ; AHD)
• Schlemiel {{IPAc-en|ʃ|l|É™|ˈ|m|iː|l}}: An inept clumsy person; a bungler; a dolt ( or , probably from the Hebrew name Shelumiel; OED) The word is widely recognized{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} from its inclusion in the Yiddish-American hopscotch chant from the opening sequence of the American sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
• {{anchor|Schlep}}Schlep: To drag or haul (an object); to walk, esp. to make a tedious journey (; cf. German: ; OED, MW). Also a noun, a lackey, hanger-on, or loser.
• {{anchor|Schlimazel}}Schlimazel also Schlemazl: A chronically unlucky person (, from &91;Middle Dutch: or Middle High German: or &93; + Hebrew: ; cf. German: ; OED). The difference between a schlemiel and a schlimazel is described through the aphorism, "The schlemiel spills his soup on the schlimazel."
• {{anchor|schlock}}(Wikt:Schlock|Schlock): something cheap, shoddy, or inferior (perhaps from ; cf. German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Schlong}}Schlong: (vulgar) A penis (; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Schlub}}Schlub: A clumsy, stupid, or unattractive person (, perhaps from Polish: ; OED, MW)
• Schmaltz: Melted chicken fat; metaphorically, excessive sentimentality ( or German: ; OED, MW, AHD); adjective: schmaltzy
• {{anchor|Schmatte}}Schmatte: A rag (, from Polish: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Schmeer}}Schmeer also schmear: from Polish 'smarowac' to smear, to spread, coll. to bribe; (noun or verb) Spread (e.g., cream cheese on a bagel); bribe (; cf. German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Schmo}}Schmo: A stupid person (akin to schmuck according to AHD, but disputed by OED)
• {{anchor|Schmooze}}Schmooze: To converse informally, make small talk or chat (, from Hebrew: ; OED, MW). To persuade in insincere or oily fashion; to "lay it on thick". Noun: schmoozer, abbr. schmooze.
• {{Anchor|Schmuck}}Schmuck: (vulgar) A contemptible or foolish person; a jerk; (, probably from Old Polish ; MW, EO)
• {{anchor|Schmutter}}Schmutter: Pieces of clothing; rubbish (; cf. schmatte; OED)
• {{anchor|Schmutz}}(wikt:schmutz|Schmutz) {{IPAc-en|ʃ|m|ÊŠ|t|s}}: Dirt ( or German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Schnook}}(wikt:schnook|Schnook): An easily imposed-upon or easily cheated person, a pitifully meek person, a particularly gullible person, a cute or mischievous person or child (perhaps from ; cf. Northern German: ; OED)
• Schnorrer: beggar, esp. "one who wheedles others into supplying his wants" (; cf. German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Schnoz}}Schnoz or Schnozz also Schnozzle: A nose, especially a large nose (perhaps from ; cf. German: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Schvartze}}Schvartze: (offensive) A Black person (from ; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Shabbos}}Shabbos, Shabbas, Shabbes: Shabbat (, from Hebrew: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071012134745weblink">AHD)
• {{anchor|Shammes}}Shammes or Shamash {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|ɑː|m|É™|s}}: The caretaker of a synagogue; also, the ninth candle of the Hanukkah menorah, used to light the others (, from Hebrew: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Shamus}}Shamus: a detective (possibly or the Irish name Seamus; OED, Macquarie)
• Shegetz: (derogatory) a young non-Jewish man ( or , from Hebrew: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070203230502weblink">AHD)
• {{anchor|Shemozzle}}Shemozzle: (slang) Quarrel, brawl (perhaps related to schlimazel, q.v.; OED). This word is commonly used in Ireland to describe confused situations during the Irish sport of hurling, e.g. "There was a shemozzle near the goalmouth". In particular, it was a catchphrase of 1940s–1980s television commentator Michael O'Hehir.WEB, Doyle, Dr Siobhán, A short history of shemozzles in the GAA, RTÉ.ie,weblink 2020-02-20,
• {{anchor|Shikker}}Shikker, Shicker, Shickered: Drunk (adjective or noun) (, from Hebrew: ; OED)
• Shiksa or Shikse {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|ɪ|k|s|É™}}: (often derogatory) A young non-Jewish woman (, a derivative of sheygets, from Polish: ; AHD)
• Shmendrik or Shmendrick: A foolish or contemptible person (from a character in an operetta by Abraham Goldfaden; OED)
• Shtetl: A small town with a large Jewish population in pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe (, diminutive of ; cf. German: , South German / Austrian colloquial diminutive of ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050257weblink">AHD)
• Shtibl: A small synagogue or place of prayer (; cf. German: ; OED)
• Shtick: Comic theme; a defining habit or distinguishing feature or business (; cf. German: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070423012821weblink">AHD)
• Shtum: Quiet, silent (; cf. German: ); OED)
• {{anchor|Shtup}}Shtup: (vulgar slang) To have sexual intercourse (; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Shul}}Shul: a synagogue (, from Middle High German: ; cf. German: ; MW)
• {{anchor|Shvitz}}Shvitz: to sweat (v.), a sauna or steam bath (n.) (; cf. German: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Spiel|shpiel}}Spiel or Shpiel: A sales pitch or speech intended to persuade ( or German: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070930191815weblink">AHD)

T

• Tchotchke: A knickknack, trinket, curio (, , from Polish: ; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Tref|trayf|traif}}Tref or Trayf or Traif {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|r|eɪ|f}}: Not kosher (, from Hebrew: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071016050252weblink">AHD)
• {{anchor|Tsuris}}Tsuris {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|s|ÊŠ|r|ɪ|s}}: Troubles, grief (,Carr, David, "Abramson’s Exit at The Times Puts Tensions on Display", The New York Times, 18 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-19. from Hebrew: ; OED, MW, AHD)
• {{anchor|Tuchus}}TuchusJeffrey Goldberg, "Words That The New York Times Will Not Print", The Atlantic, 2010-06-09. "'Joe Lieberman is too polite to complain, but the Gore questions are getting to be a pain in the tuchis.' ... Though Leibovich's copy editors allowed tuchus to be spelled incorrectly, the Washington Post is obviously more tolerant of Jewish flamboyance ..." (also tuches, tuchis, tukus, tuchas, or tukhus) {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ÊŠ|x|É™|s}}: The buttocks, bottom, rear end (, from Hebrew: ; OED).
• {{anchor|Tummler}}Tummler: An entertainer or master of ceremonies, especially one who encourages audience interaction (, from ; cf. German: or 'cavort'; OED, MW)
• {{anchor|Tush}}Tush (also Tushy): The buttocks, bottom, rear end (; cf. tuchus; OED, MW)
• Tzimmes: A sweet stew of vegetables and fruit; a fuss, a confused affair, a to-do (; OED, MW)

File:TzimmesS.jpg|thumb|180px|Carrot tzimmestzimmes

V

• Vigorish (also contraction Vig): That portion of the gambling winnings held by the bookmaker as payment for services (,{{Citation needed|date=April 2019|reason=From Wiktionary, uncited there, and Yiddish not mentioned in the enwiki article. Remove from the list if not citable as being from Yiddish.}} from Russian: ; OED, AHD)
• {{anchor|Verklempt}}Verklempt: Choked with emotion (, originally 'pressed, gripped'; cf. German: verklemmt meaning 'uptight' MW)

Y

File:Casamento judeu1.jpg|thumb|180px|YarmulkeYarmulke

• Yarmulke: A round cloth skullcap worn by observant Jewish men (, possibly from Polish: and Ukrainian: , possibly from ; see (Wikt:yarmulke|yarmulke); OED, MW)
• Yekke: (mildly derogatory) A German Jew; its most common usage derives from the British Mandate period to describe Fifth Aliyah German Jews, who were perceived to be more formal in dress and manners. (; cf. German: ; OED)
• Yenta (variants: (wikt:yente|yente), (wikt:yentl|yentl)): A talkative woman; a gossip; a scold (, from a given name; OED, MW)
• Yiddish: The Yiddish language (; cf. German: ; weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070401200135weblink">AHD)
• {{anchor|Yontef|Yom Tov}}Yontef also Yom Tov: A Jewish holiday on which work is forbidden, e.g. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach (, from Hebrew: ; OED)
• {{anchor|Yutz}}Yutz: A fool (, perhaps derived from putz; NPD, AHD)

Z

• {{anchor|Zaftig}}Zaftig, also Zaftik {{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|ɑː|f|t|ɪ|k}}: Pleasingly plump, buxom, full-figured, as a woman (; cf. German: ; OED, MW)

See also

• List of English words of Hebrew origin
• List of German expressions in English
• Lists of English words by country or language of origin
• Yeshivish
• Yiddish words used in English
• Shm-reduplication, an English-language reduplication of Yiddish origin

Notes

{{reflist}}

External links

• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20051208013707weblink">"How to Speak Recording Studio Yiddish", Henry Engineering
• "Some Yiddish Words", John J. Parsons, Hebrew for Christians

{{English words of foreign origin}}