Jewish

American  

[joo-ish] / ˈdʒu ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Jews or Judaism.

   Jewish customs.

2. Informal.  Yiddish.

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noun

1. Informal.  Yiddish.

Jewish British  

/ ˈdʒuːɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Jews

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noun

1. a less common word for Yiddish

Other Word Forms

• Jewishly adverb
• Jewishness noun
• anti-Jewish adjective
• half-Jewish adjective
• non-Jewish adjective
• pre-Jewish adjective
• pro-Jewish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Jewish

1540–50; Jew + -ish ¹; compare Old English iudēisc < Late Latin iudē ( us ) Jew + Old English -isc -ish ¹

Compare meaning

How does jewish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• goyish vs. Jewish

Example Sentences

Between Adolf Hitler's rise to power on January 30, 1933, and Germany's capitulation on May 8, 1945, hundreds of thousands of cultural goods were stolen, mostly from Jewish owners.

From Barron's

The moves drew outrage, with an umbrella organisation of the Jewish community groups labelling it "scandalous" and a "moral and civilisational disgrace for Croatia".

From Barron's

Both ceremonies blended Booker’s Christian faith and Lewis’s Jewish heritage.

From Salon

Cranach's work drew on medieval mapping traditions where Israel appeared as long, narrow strips of land, reflecting earlier reliance on the 1st century AD Jewish historian Josephus, who simplified conflicting biblical descriptions.

From Science Daily

Organizations like the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston have also sent out emails to their membership commending the commission.

From Salon