yenta

[ yen-tuh ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a person, especially a woman, who is a busybody or gossip.

Word History and Origins

Origin of yenta¹

First recorded in 1930–35; from Yiddish yente, originally a female personal name, earlier Yentl, ultimately from Old Italian; compare Italian gentile “kind, amiable,” originally, “noble, highborn”; gentle

Example Sentences

Pilot Jason Tucker, 45, of Wasilla and passenger Nicolas Blace, 44, of Chugiak, are presumed to have died when their PA-18 aircraft crashed in a tributary of the West Fork of the Yenta River, located in the southwest preserve of the national park.

From Seattle Times

There is also a Jewish Currents podcast, “On the Nose,” and a regular dating feature for “lovelorn leftists,” Red Yenta.

From New York Times

What makes "The Nanny" unique is the breath of fresh air brought by curly-haired, mini-skirted Fran, with her yenta mother and her senile yet groovy Romanian immigrant grandmother.

From Salon

If that doesn’t pique your interest, consider one of the songs is titled “I Never Met This Yenta.”

From New York Times

If that doesn’t pique your interest, consider one of the songs is titled “I Never Met This Yenta.”

From New York Times