mensch

[ mench ]

/ mɛntʃ /

noun, plural mensch·en [men-chuh n] /ˈmɛn tʃən/, mensch·es. Informal.

a decent, upright, mature, and responsible person.

Nearby words

Origin of mensch

1950–55; < Yiddish mentsh man, human being < Middle High German mensch (German Mensch), Old High German mennisco, mannisco; see man¹, -ish¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mensch

His proposal is the work of a mensch and, no doubt, an act of love.
"Zionist BDS" is Not the Way to Save Israel|Noah Efron|March 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Yet in my mind it made him more than a politician, more than a musician; it made him a mensch.
Kinky for Perry|Kinky Friedman|August 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
If that money actually winds up in the hands of needy kids, James seems like a mensch.
The LeBron James Show|Bryan Curtis|July 8, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He is a familiar Apatow mensch, and somehow Rogen gets away with playing this guy over and over without becoming tiresome.
How Funny Is Funny People?|Caryn James|July 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST

I caught several times the word "Mensch," man; and also "Fressen," which last I looked up afterwards in my dictionary.
Falk|Joseph Conrad
Mr. Mensch says that the proposed design of a retaining wall would be difficult and expensive to install.
Some Mooted Questions in Reinforced Concrete Design|Edward Godfrey
In Gothic we find both ‘man,’ and ‘Maunisk,’ the modern German ‘maun,’ and ‘mensch.’
Tradition|John Francis Arundell
A partial reply to Mr. Thompson's discussion will be found in the writer's response to Mr. Mensch.
Some Mooted Questions in Reinforced Concrete Design|Edward Godfrey
Mr. Mensch's next paragraph does not show a careful perusal of the paper.
Some Mooted Questions in Reinforced Concrete Design|Edward Godfrey

Word Origin and History for mensch

mensch

"person of strength and honor," 1907, from Yiddish, from German Mensch, literally "man, person," from Old High German mennisco "human," from Proto-Germanic adjective *manniska- "human" (see mannish).