Jew

¹

[joo]

noun

1. one of a scattered group of people that traces its descent from the Biblical Hebrews or from postexilic adherents of Judaism; Israelite.

2. a person whose religion is Judaism.

3. a subject of the ancient kingdom of Judah.

adjective

1. Offensive.,  of Jews; Jewish.

verb (used with object)

1. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.,  jew, to bargain sharply with; beat down in price (often followed bydown ).

Jew.

²

abbreviation

1. Jewish.

Jew

/ dʒuː /

noun

1. a member of the Semitic people who claim descent from the ancient Hebrew people of Israel, are spread throughout the world, and are linked by cultural or religious ties

2. a person whose religion is Judaism

Sensitive Note

While both the adjective and the verb were once used in a neutral way by Jews and non-Jews, they are now considered problematic and offensive. The adjectival use of Jew, as in the phrase Jew boy, is perceived as insulting; the adjective Jewish should be used instead. The verb jew (down) is also perceived as offensive and antisemitic, because it perpetuates the stereotype of the shrewd Jewish moneylender or haggler.

Other Word Forms

• non-Jew noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jew¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English jewe, giu, gyu, ju, from Old French juiu, juieu, gyu, from Late Latin judēus, Latin jūdaeus, from Greek ioudaîos, from Aramaic yehūdāi, from Hebrew Yəhūdhī, derivative of Yəhūdhāh Judah; replacing Old English iūdēas “Jews,” from Late Latin jūdē(us) + Old English -as, a plural ending

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jew¹

C12: from Old French juiu, from Latin jūdaeus, from Greek ioudaios, from Hebrew yehūdī, from yehūdāh _Judah

Example Sentences

The West apparently got the idea from the Jews.

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Mr. Loomis has sympathy for his subject, rightly observing that Jews of the era faced tremendous social and professional obstacles.

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I am a patriotic American and a proud Jew.

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The 330-capacity venue said it had implemented compulsory antisemitism training for senior management and had made a donation to the Community Security Trust, which seeks to protect British Jews from antisemitism.

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Theirs was a bold but unlikely mission: to parachute behind enemy lines and save European Jews from extermination.

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