Yiddishism

[ yid-i-shiz-uhm ]

noun

1. a word, phrase, or linguistic feature characteristic of or peculiar to Yiddish.
2. the advocacy of Yiddish language and literature.

Other Words From

• Yiddish·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yiddishism¹

First recorded in 1925–30; Yiddish + -ism

Example Sentences

It’s not exactly a making-of, since the show was, by that point, already made, but it’s fascinating to see Sondheim take the singers aside to correct the tiny imperfections—the F sharp that has crept up to an A flat, the vowel sound in a particular Yiddishism—that have crept in over weeks of live performance.

From Slate

Of course, Mr. Roth had prepared a love song for the wedding, “I’m Kvellin’ for Ellen,” using the Yiddishism for an expression of pride or excitement.

From New York Times

Mr. Trump’s attempted Yiddishism clearly struck a nerve with the festivalgoers, who were already anxious over the future of a language that was once a dominant tongue in the Jewish diaspora before being decimated by the Holocaust and assimilation.

From New York Times

Covering the insult-o-rama that is the Trump campaign is a soul-draining undertaking, calling to mind another Yiddishism: “Darf min gehn in kolledg?”

From Washington Post

The actor Michael Douglas was the first to call him a “mensch”—from a Yiddishism for a person of integrity.

From Newsweek