Yiddish

[ yid-ish ]

/ ˈyɪd ɪʃ /

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noun

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.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Yiddish.

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Origin of Yiddish

First recorded in 1885–90; from Yiddish yidish; see yid, -ish¹

Words nearby Yiddish

yi, Yibin, Yichang, yid, yidaki, Yiddish, Yiddisher, Yiddishism, Yiddishkeit, yield, yieldability

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Yiddish in a sentence

He’s also excited about Theater J’s Yiddish Theater Lab dedicated to commissioning English translations and adaptations of Yiddish plays to be presented as readings and possibly productions.
Meet Theater J’s new managing director|Patrick Folliard|July 23, 2021|Washington Blade
By some accounts, he had grown up around so many Jewish people that he could speak Yiddish.
The Murder Chicago Didn’t Want to Solve|by Mick Dumke|February 25, 2021|ProPublica
So naturally, we all figured that when you got old, you developed a Yiddish accent.
Gene Weingarten: Your call is unimportant to us|Gene Weingarten|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
In the midst of the clubbiness, there is a heimishe (Yiddish for familiar, old school) quality.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In Paris, a new generation of entrepreneurs are launching initiatives to perpetuate the Yiddish way of life.
Paris's Nouveau Yiddish Culture|Laurent David Samama|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Take, for instance, Yiddish Mamma, a young Parisian brand that peddles its wares with love and humour.
Paris's Nouveau Yiddish Culture|Laurent David Samama|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They go to schools where they are taught only in Yiddish and only about Jewish subjects.
Why Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Babies Keep Getting Herpes|Emily Shire|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I got to give Christian a little lesson in Yiddish-isms,” adds Becker.
Creating American Hustle’s Sexy, Oscar-Nominated Look: From Pasties to The Plaza|Marlow Stern|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Spanish, Chinese, German, and Yiddish have all paid their toll.
American Sketches|Charles Whibley
Is this, I wonder, a spontaneous corruption, or is it due to German and Yiddish influence?
America To-day, Observations and Reflections|William Archer
"This is not the place for speaking," he rejoined vehemently, in Yiddish.
Yekl|Abraham Cahan
And this man's voice had none of the nasal, throaty tones of Yiddish.
The Moving Picture Boys on the War Front|Victor Appleton
When we came to read Genesis I had the great advantage of a complete translation in Yiddish.
The Promised Land|Mary Antin

British Dictionary definitions for Yiddish

Yiddish

/ (ˈjɪdɪʃ) /

noun

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

adjective

in or relating to this language

Word Origin for Yiddish

C19: from German jüdisch, from Jude Jew

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012