ENGLISH WORDS-JEWISH ORIGIN
There is a logical reason why so many words of Jewish origin are found in the English language. The most obvious is that Jews have settled in many English speaking countries because they are accepted there, and feel safe, and because Jews gravitate to democracies. Most if not all English speaking countries are, thank God, democracies If you look up Oxford English dictionaries you will find most of these words. Good luck and happy word hunting. The Oxford English Dictionary is indeed your best bet. Yiddish is a Germanic language originally spoken by Jews of Central and Eastern Europe written in the Hebrew alphabet and containing a substantial substratum of words from Hebrew as well as loans of words from a Slavic origin, but have entered English via their Yiddish form.
1. Bagel A ring-shaped bread roll made by boiling or steaming and then baking the dough (Romanized Beygl)
2. Blintz : a sweet cheese crepe from Belarusian Romanized blincy
3. Bris: the circumcision of a male child bris from Hebrew (literally covenant)
4. Boychik: boy young man Eastern Yiddish (Slavic)
5. Bupkis (also bupkes, bupkus Bubkis ,Bubkes ) emphatically nothing as in He isn`t worth bupkis, bobkes of uncertain origin perhaps (goat) droppings of Slavic origin
6. Chutzpah: from Hebrew- nerve, guts , daring audacity, balls effrontery
7. Daven: pray recitation of Jewish liturgical prayer
8. Dybbuk: the malevolent spirit of a dead person that enters and controls a living body until exorcized–from Yiddish
9. Fleishig: made with meat of German origin
10. Ganef or gonif: thief from Hebrew thief , scoundrel rascal
11. Gelt: money in general also the chocolate given to children on Hanukkah comes also from German geld
12. Glitch: a minor malfunction of German glitschen
13.Golem : a Frankenstein monster, an android from Hebrew Golem
14 Goy a Gentile , not of Jewish faith from Hebrew
15. Haimish: (also heimish) home-like friendly of German
16. Handle to bargain comes from German
17. Huck: to bother incessantly , to break or nag there is a Jewish expression “huck a chinuk” talk like a kettle making noise boiling
18. Kasha: Porridges, buckwheat groats
19. Khazeray: Chazeray that is awful, junk trash anything disgusting
20. Kibitz: To offer unwanted advice, to converse idly of German descent Keibitz
21. Kike: a derogatory slur used to refer to Jews similar in a derogatory fashion to Nigger for black
22. Klutz: clumsy person from Polish
22. Knish: Doughy snack consisting mainly of potatoes meat and chees
23. Kosher: correct according to Jewish law , normally used in reference to dietary law, appropriate legitimate
24. Kvell: to express great pleasure along with pride from German derivation
25. Kvetch: to complain habitually, gripe: as a noun a person who always complain, press squeeze Kvetshn Aramaic, Hebrew
26. Latke: potato pancake, especially during Hanukkah Ukrainian derivative, romanized
27. Litvak : a Lithuanian Jew
28. Lox: cured salmon, used loosely to refer smoked salmon German descent
29. Macher: big shot, important person
30. Mamzer: bastard Yiddish Hebrew
31. Maven: expert; when used in a negative sense: a know-it-all Hebrew
32. Mazel Tov Mazal Tov good luck good fortune Hebrew
33. Mazel Tov: congratulations
34. Megillah: a tediously detailed discourse, the whole extended explanation
35. Mensch: an upright man , a decent human being , German
36. Meshuga: Meshugge crazy Meshuggener Meshuggench a crazy man or woman respectively Hebrew
37. Meshugaas: Mishegaas a senseless activity or behavior
38. Meshuggenench a crazy woman
39. Meshuggener : a crazy man
40. Milchig: made with milk German
41. Minyan: quorum of 10 adults Jews 13 or older necessary for worshipping == Hebrew
42. Mishpocha: extended family, relative
43 Naches: feeling of pride and gratification in achievement of another or ones own doing — Hebrew
44 Narrischkeit : foolishness, nonsense German origin
45. Nebbish: an insignificant,pitiful , a nonentity person perhaps— Czech
46. Noodge: to pester, nag as a noun a pest multipurpose
47. Nosh: snack German derivation
48. Nu: analogous to well or so what– multipurpose
49. Nudnik: a pain in the neck, a bore possibly Polish
50 Oy or Oy Vey: interjection of grief or pain from German
51.Pareve. containing neither meat or dairy Hebrew
52 . Pisher a nobody, an inexperienced person also piss from German
53. Potch : spank, slap smack strong emotion German
54. Plotz: to burst as from strong emotion used humorously minor shock
55. Putz: vulgar a penis, used as an insult
56. Schav : a chilled soup made of sorrel from Polish
57.Schlemiel: a bungler, an inept person a bungler a dolt from Hebrew
58. Schlep: to drag or haul, influence, to make a tedious journey from German
59 Schlimazel: a chronically unlucky person difference between Schlemiel and Schlimazel The Schlemiel spills soup on Schlimazel,Dutch
60. Schlock: something cheap or shoddy German
61.Schlong (vulgar) penis also snake German
62. Schlub. a clumsy,inept or stupid person unattractive Polish
63. Schmaltz. melted chicken fat German
64 Schmatte : a rag junk or low quality Polish
65 Schmeer: spread cheese on a bagel, bribe German
66. Schmegeggy: an idiot
67. Schmo: a stupid person , an alternative to schmuck
68. Schmooze: make small talk, informal conversation Hebrew
69. Schmuk: (vulgar) a jerk, foolish person literally means penis
70. Schmutter: clothing , rubbish
71. Schmutz; dirt German
72.Schnook: a pitiful person , easily imposed on, a cute or mischievous person German
73. Schnorrer : one who wheedles others into supplying his wants German
74. Schnoz: a nose, especially a large one
75. Schavartze: a term used to denote black people sometimes derogatory German
76. Schvitz: to sweat, perspire, a sauna
77. Shabbos, Shabbas: Shabbat Hebrew Sabbath
78. Shalom: peace , greeting Hebrew
79.Shammes: caretaker of a synagogue Hebrew
80. Shamus : detective
81. Shegetz a young non-Jewish male derogatory
82. Shemozzle: quarrel brawl
83. Shikker: a drunk Hebrew
84. Shikse: a non-Jewish woman often derogatory
84. Shikse: a non-Jewish woman, derogatory word
85. Shmendrik: a foolish or contemptible person
86. Shtetl: a small town with a large Jewish population in pre holocaust Europe German
87. Shtibl: little house, small synagogue or place of worship
88. Shtick : comic theme, defining habit, distinguishing feature
89. Shtup: vulgar slang for intercourse Shtum quiet silent
90. Shul: synagogue German
91 Shpiel: a sales pitch
92. Shpritz: a spray of water, sprinkle lightly SHVITZ to sweat
93 Tchotchke: knickknack, trinket Polish
94. Tref: or Trayf non-kosher Hebrew
95. Tzimmes: Tsimmes a sweet stew, a fuss, a confused affair
96.Tsuris: troubles grief
97. Tukhus: rear end, ass buttocks
98 . Tummler: an entertainer, Master of ceremonies German
99.. tush: tuchus rear end
100. Vigorish: that portion of winnings held by book-maker or dealer payment for service
101. Witz: joke
102. Yarmulke: round skullcap worn by observant Jew
103. Yekke: a German Jew midly derogatory
104. Yente: a talkative woman gossip German
105. Yiddish: Jewish language German
106 Yom Tov Jewish holiday Hebrew forbidden to work
107. Yutz.: a fool German
108. Zaftig: pleasingly plump ,full figured woman German
Murray, you didn’t provide the national origin for all the chosen words. I also wonder how many of the words you show really have made it into conversational English. Some have, but surely not all of them. As for “shmatte,” I’ve read that it originated in the Jews of Pyranees fleeing the Inquisition. They took with them their dogs, the wool oif which (it’s not fur) they wove into cloth and called “shmatte.”
Cubby I looked up most of the words and if you bother 90% are in the recent edition of the Oxford dictionary No I did not produce the origin for some words because I did not know Murray
As iz ahzoi git tzoo haren ah Yiddisha vort!!
Blibe gazint ahn shtark…
Fran.