goy

[ goi ]

noun

, Sometimes Disparaging.

, plural goy·im [goi, -im], goys.

1. a term used by a Jew to refer to someone who is not Jewish.
2. a term used by an observant Jew to refer to a Jew who is not religious or is ignorant of Judaism.

goy

/ ɡɔɪ /

noun

1. a Jewish word for a gentile

Sensitive Note

In Yiddish and Hebrew, goy is a neutral, descriptive term meaning gentile. In English, it may sometimes be used disparagingly or contemptuously. The word is also considered disparaging when it is applied to a Jew who is not observant.

Derived Forms

• ˈgoyish, adjective

Other Words From

• goy·ish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of goy¹

First recorded in 1835–45; from Yiddish, from Hebrew goi “nation, non-Jew, Jew ignorant of the Jewish religion”

Word History and Origins

Origin of goy¹

from Yiddish, from Hebrew goi people

Example Sentences

The third one lingered back with the two younger girls, arms crossed, and said, “Dvorah, you let Mikhail bring home the goyim like stray cats now?”

From Literature

The person then thanks the officer, calling him a “good goy,” StopAntisemitism said.

From Los Angeles Times

"Shabbos goy" is a term used to refer to non-Jews employed by Orthodox Jews to perform certain services that are forbidden on the Sabbath.

From Fox News

He could even speak a little Yiddish, from his teenage stint as “a schlepper” at a baby furniture and toy store owned by immigrant Jews and as a Shabbos goy in the neighborhood.

From New York Times

She was, Roth believed, a bearer of “goyim chaos,” a promising grad student turned sandwich bar waitress for whom everything had gone wrong.

From Los Angeles Times