Yiddish

American  

[yid-ish] / ˈyɪd 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

But if she, a towering scholar of Yiddish literature, assumes the pose of a little old lady, don’t be fooled.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

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

“I Have Sinned” was the first Yiddish sound film made in Poland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

It helped that they spoke Polish at home, not Yiddish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

Auditorium one remained the clearest evidence that the Grand Dame had once been a Yiddish theater, one of the largest along Second Avenue.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny