A wide array of Yiddish words and expressions embellish the English language today. These are often referred to as Yiddish borrowings or Yiddish loan words in English. Most of the Yiddish words and expressions were borrowed into English from the Jewish communities in America, ‘the great melting pot of cultures’. A number of Yiddish words also entered English through large Jewish communities in Britain, where the Yiddish language has exerted a strong influence on the Cockney dialect.
In the modern times, Jewish scriptwriters have introduced many Yiddish words into films with the original meanings often changed drastically. The following is a list of Yiddish words often used in English. Search a word to find its meaning and history.
| Yiddish Word | English Meaning |
|---|---|
| bagel | A ring-shaped bread roll made by boiling, then baking, the dough. From Yiddish beygel |
| baleboste | An efficient housewife or hostess |
| beheyme | cow, a big dummy (used of women) |
| blintz | A sweet cheese-filled crepe |
| bris | The circumcision of a male child. |
| boychik | Boy, young man. |
| bube | grandmother |
| bubele | dear, sweetie (little bube) |
| bupkis, bupkes, bupkus, bubkis, bubkes | Emphatically nothing, as in He isn't worth bupkis. Literally meaning either 'beans' or 'goat droppings'. |
| chazerei | junk stuff. Literally meaning 'pig food'. |
| chutzpah | brazen boldness, guts, daring, audacity, effrontery. (from Hebrew huspah) |
| Chochmah | A joke, originally a piece of wisdom, from Hebrew chacham - a wise man. |
| daven | To recite Jewish liturgical prayers. |
| dreck | trash (from drek; excrement) |
| dreidel, dreidl | A four-sided top used in a childs game often played on Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. |
| dybbuk | The malevolent spirit of a dead person that enters and controls a living body until exorcised. (from Hebrew dibbuq; ghost) |
| farblondzhet | Wandering aimlessly, confused. |
| farmisht | confused |
| farshtunkener | stinking, nasty person. |
| fartumlt | confused and disoriented. |
| fleishig | Made with meat. |
| ganef or gonif | Thief, scoundrel, rascal. |
| gefilte | stuffed, filled (gefilte fish is ground, boned fish mixed with matzo meal and eggs, then shaped into balls and poached in broth) |
| gelt | Money; chocolate coins eaten on Hanukkah. |
| gevalt | violence, force. |
| glitch | A minor malfunction. (from German glitschen; to slip) |
| golem | A life-like creature, a man-made humanoid; an android, clay icon. (from goylem, fool, derived from Hebrew golem; shapeless mass) |
| gonif, goniff, ganef | A thief, swindler. |
| goy | A Gentile, term for someone not of the Jewish faith or people. (from Hebrew goy; people, nation) |
| goyim | gentiles. |
| goyish | non-Jewlike, derogatory term. |
| haimish, heimish | Home-like, friendly, cosy. |
| hamantasch, hamantash | A Jewish pastry, eaten at the feast of Purim |
| handel | Food that is awful; junk, trash; anything disgusting, even loathsome. |
| huck, hock, huk, hak | To offer unwanted advice, e.g. to someone playing cards; to converse idly, hence a kibitzer, gossip. |
| kasha | A derogatory slur used to refer to Jews. |
| khazeray, chazeray, chozzerai | intestine, gut, stuffed skin. |
| kibitz | dullard, clumsy person. (from klots; wooden beam) |
| kike | Doughy snack consisting mainly of potato. |
| kishkes, kishka | stuffed derma |
| klutz | awkward, clumsy, blundering person |
| knish | a rollof bread dough stuffed with meat, potato, or buckwheat. |
| kosher | fit to eat according to Jewish law, appropriate, legitimate. (from Hebrew kaser; fit, proper) |
| kreplach | triangular dumplings. |
| kvell | to be delighted, pleased. |
| kvetch | To complain habitually, gripe; as a noun, a person who always complains. (from kvetshn; to squeeze, to pinch) |
| latke | Potato pancake, especially during Hanukkah. |
| Litvak | A Lithuanian Jew. |
| lox | Cured salmon. |
| luftmensch | someone whose head is in the clouds, dreamer. |
| macher | Big shot, important person. |
| mamzer, momzer | illegitimate child, bastard. |
| matzo, matzoh | unleavened bread eaten at Passover. (from Hebrew massah; cake of unleavened bread) |
| maven | Expert, connoisseur, when used in a negative sense a know-it-all; enthusiast. (from meyvn, which is from Hebrew mebhin; understanding) |
| mazel | Luck. |
| mazel tov, mazal tov | Congratulations! (from Hebrew mazzal; star) |
| mazuma | money, cash |
| megillah | long story, rigmarole. |
| mensch | An upright man, an admirable human being. |
| meshuga, meshugge, meshugah, meshuggah | Crazy, insane, nonsense. |
| meshugaas,mishegaas, mishegoss | Crazy or senseless activity or behavior; craziness. |
| meshuggeneh, meshuggene | A crazy woman. |
| meshuggener, meshugana, meshuggana | A crazy man. |
| milchig | Made with milk. |
| minyan | The quorum of ten adult (i.e., 13 or older) Jews that is necessary for the holding of a public worship service; in Orthodox Judaismten adult males are required, while in Conservative and Reform Judaism ten adults of either sex are required. |
| mishpocha, mishpoche | clan, extended family. |
| naches, nakhes | Feeling of pride, joy, pleasure. |
| narrischkeit | Foolishness, nonsense |
| nebbish, nebbich | An insignificant, pitiful person, a nobody. (from nebekh; poor, unfortunate) |
| noodge, nudzh | To pester, nag, whine; as a noun, a pest or whiner. |
| nosh | Snack |
| nu | Multipurpose interjection often analogous to "well?" or "so?" |
| nudnik | A pest, "pain in the neck"; a bore. |
| oy, oy vey | Interjection of grief, pain, or horror. |
| pastrami | a highly seasoned shoulder cut of smoked beef. |
| pareve | Containing neither meat nor dairy products. |
| pisher | A nobody, an inexperienced person. |
| potch | Spank, slap, smack. |
| plotz | To burst, as from strong emotion. |
| putz | a fool or an unpleasant person |
| schav | A chilled soup made of sorrel. |
| schlemiel, shlemiel | A clumsy person, fool, social misfit. |
| schlep | To drag or haul (an object); to walk, esp. to make a tedious journey. |
| schlimazel, schlemazl | A chronically unlucky person. |
| schlock, shlock | Something cheap, shoddy, or inferior. |
| schlub | A clumsy, stupid, or unattractive person |
| schmaltz | Melted chicken fat; excessive sentimentality. |
| schmatta, shmatte | A rag. (from schmatte, which is from Polish szmata; rag) |
| schmeer, schmear | Noun or verb spread (e.g., cream cheese on a bagel); bribe. |
| schmegeggy | an idiot |
| schmo | A stupid person. |
| schmooze | To converse informally, make small talk or chat with associates. (from shmues chat, which is from Hebrew shemuoth; news, rumor) |
| schmutter | Clothing; rubbish. |
| schmutz | Dirt. |
| schnook | A particularly gullible person. |
| schnorrer | Beggar, especially one who wheedles others into supplying his wants. (from German Schmurrer; beggar |
| schnoz, schnozz, schnozzle | A nose, especially a large nose. (from shnoits; snout) |
| schvartze | Term used to denote Black people. |
| schvitz | Schvitz or schvitzing To sweat, perspire, exude moisture as a cooling mechanism. |
| Shabbos, Shabbas, Shabbes | Shabbat. |
| shalom | Peace', used to say hello or goodbye. |
| shammes or shamash | The caretaker of a synagogue; also, the 9th candle of the Hanukkah menorah, used to light the others. |
| shamus | A detective. |
| shegetz | A young non-Jewish male. (Derogatory) |
| shemozzle (slang) | quarrel, brawl. (from Hebrew shellomazzal; bad luck) |
| shikker, shicker, shickered | Drunk. |
| shiksa, shikse | A young non-Jewish woman. (Often derogatory) |
| shmate | cheap dress |
| shmeer | bribe, grease the palm. |
| shmegege | buffoon, idiot |
| shmendrik, shmendrick | A foolish ineffectual person. |
| shteig | In a secular sense, to accumulate wealth and possessions; in the realm of spirituality, to grow in wisdom. |
| shtetl | A small town with a large Jewish population in pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe. (plural shtetls or stetlach) |
| shtiebel | little house, little room |
| shtick | Comic theme; a gimmick, a persons individual interest or activity.(from shtik pranks, piece) |
| shtoom | silent, mute (from German stumm; silent) |
| shul | Synagogue, Jewish place of worship that is also a place of study. (from German Schule; school) |
| spiel, shpiel | A sales pitch or speech intended to persuade. |
| spritz | A sprinkling or spray of liquid; a small amount of liquid. (verb) to spray, sprinkle. |
| tchotchke | Knickknack, trinket, curio. |
| tref, trayf, traif | Not kosher. |
| tzimmes | A sweet stew of vegetables and fruit; a fuss, a confused affair. |
| tsuris,tsores | Trouble, worries or afflictions. |
| tukhus | Buttocks, bottom, rear end. |
| tummler | An entertainer or master of ceremonies, especially one who encourages audience interaction. |
| tush, tushy | Buttocks, bottom, rear end. |
| vigorish (contracted form vig.) | That portion of the gambling winnings held by the bookmaker as payment for services. |
| verklempt | Choked with emotion. |
| vey | pain, as in "oy vey" |
| witz | joke |
| yarmulke | Round prayer cap of the type traditionally worn by male Orthodox Jews |
| Yekke | (Mildly derogatory) a German Jew |
| yenta | A talkative woman, a gossipy person, a scold. (from the personal name Yente) |
| yontef also yom tov | A Jewish holiday on which work is forbidden. |
| yutz | A fool. |
| zaftig | Pleasingly plump, buxom, juicy. (from zaftik; juicy, succulent, which is from German saftig; juicy) |
| zhlub | An insensitive, boorish person. |