Yiddish

[ yid-ish ]

noun

1. a Germanic language of Ashkenazi Jews, based on Middle High German dialects with an admixture of vocabulary from Hebrew, Aramaic, the Slavic languages, and Old French and Old Italian, written in Hebrew letters, and spoken mainly in eastern and central Europe and by Jewish emigrants from these regions and their descendants.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Yiddish.

Yiddish

/ ˈjɪdɪʃ /

noun

1. a language spoken as a vernacular by Jews in Europe and elsewhere by Jewish emigrants, usually written in the Hebrew alphabet. Historically, it is a dialect of High German with an admixture of words of Hebrew, Romance, and Slavonic origin, developed in central and E Europe during the Middle Ages

adjective

1. in or relating to this language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yiddish¹

First recorded in 1885–90; from Yiddish yidish; yid, -ish ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yiddish¹

C19: from German jüdisch, from Jude Jew

Example Sentences

He’s also excited about Theater J’s Yiddish Theater Lab dedicated to commissioning English translations and adaptations of Yiddish plays to be presented as readings and possibly productions.

From Washington Blade

By some accounts, he had grown up around so many Jewish people that he could speak Yiddish.

From ProPublica

So naturally, we all figured that when you got old, you developed a Yiddish accent.

From Washington Post

In the midst of the clubbiness, there is a heimishe (Yiddish for familiar, old school) quality.

From The Daily Beast

In Paris, a new generation of entrepreneurs are  launching initiatives to perpetuate the Yiddish way of life.

From The Daily Beast

Take, for instance, Yiddish Mamma, a young Parisian brand that peddles its wares with love and humour.

From The Daily Beast

They go to schools where they are taught only in Yiddish and only about Jewish subjects.

From The Daily Beast

“I got to give Christian a little lesson in Yiddish-isms,” adds Becker.

From The Daily Beast

Spanish, Chinese, German, and Yiddish have all paid their toll.

From Project Gutenberg

Is this, I wonder, a spontaneous corruption, or is it due to German and Yiddish influence?

From Project Gutenberg

"This is not the place for speaking," he rejoined vehemently, in Yiddish.

From Project Gutenberg

And this man's voice had none of the nasal, throaty tones of Yiddish.

From Project Gutenberg

When we came to read Genesis I had the great advantage of a complete translation in Yiddish.

From Project Gutenberg