goy

American  

[goi] / gɔɪ /

Sometimes goi

noun

Sometimes Disparaging.

plural

goyim, goys

1. a term used by a Jew to refer to someone who is not Jewish.

2. a term used by an observant Jew to refer to a Jew who is not religious or is ignorant of Judaism.

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goy British  

/ ɡɔɪ /

noun

1. a Jewish word for a gentile

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Sensitive Note

In Yiddish and Hebrew, goy is a neutral, descriptive term meaning gentile. In English, it may sometimes be used disparagingly or contemptuously. The word is also considered disparaging when it is applied to a Jew who is not observant.

Other Word Forms

• goyish adjective

Etymology

Origin of goy

First recorded in 1835–45; from Yiddish, from Hebrew goi “nation, non-Jew, Jew ignorant of the Jewish religion”

Example Sentences

"Shabbos goy" is a term used to refer to non-Jews employed by Orthodox Jews to perform certain services that are forbidden on the Sabbath.

From Fox News

He could even speak a little Yiddish, from his teenage stint as “a schlepper” at a baby furniture and toy store owned by immigrant Jews and as a Shabbos goy in the neighborhood.

From New York Times

“A dead goyim leg — from anyone? An Arab? A woman?” his father adds.

From Washington Times

The scene featured a Hasidic Jewish patient who needed a bone graft from a deceased donor who overcomes a significant injury when his father chimed in, "A goyim leg. From anyone. An Arab, a woman?"

From Fox News

“Hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands of goys came to Israel under the Law of Return,” he protested at a rabbinical gathering last week in Jerusalem.

From Los Angeles Times