Yiddish

American  

[yid-ish] / ˈjɪd ɪʃ /

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.

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adjective

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

Yiddish British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. in or relating to this language

Etymology

Origin of Yiddish

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Yiddish

His website provides a treasure trove of compelling radio and television programs, his copious Thomashefsky Yiddish theater archive, a vast legacy of searching and believing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

As a child in New Orleans, Mr. Lemann never attended a bar mitzvah or bris; he heard neither Yiddish nor Hebrew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

By 1904, the congregation’s old guard had dismissed his preference for sermons presented in English rather than Yiddish, which many of their immigrant family members still preferred.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

He recorded a collection of Yiddish songs, “Brighton Beach Memories,” in 2003, and a children’s album, “Waking Up Is Hard to Do,” in 2009.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

Even now, I couldn’t discern a Yiddish accent in spoken English, when the accent was my own.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros