goy

American  

[goi] / gɔɪ /

Sometimes goi

noun

Sometimes Disparaging.

plural

goyim, 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.

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goy British  

/ ɡɔɪ /

noun

1. a Jewish word for a gentile

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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.

Other Word Forms

• goyish adjective

Etymology

Origin of goy

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

Example Sentences

"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 • Nov. 28, 2021

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 • Oct. 23, 2021

I even shacked up with a goy – oy vey!

From The Guardian • Dec. 21, 2019

And, of course, I’m the goy playing a Jew in the movie.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2015

A goy zugt a vertl meant “As the peasant says ...” “So, Chaya, is Shmuel coming or not?”

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen