September 2009
10 posts
Krom - קראם
Krom - קראם \KROM\ Noun:
A store, shop.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: kleyt (קלייט), gesheft (געשעפט), handl(ung) [(האנדל(ונג], gevelb (געוועלב), vartshat (ווארטשאט), laden (לאדען), stor (סטאר). One American Jewish poet once lamented what she saw as the corruption of Yiddish with the introduction of English words into the...
Sukkot Song, "A Sukkale, a Kleyne"
For those interested in a beautiful little song in honor of Sukkes, “A Sukkale, a kleyne,” click here. You have to establish an account (for free) with the site, and thereafter you can search for and listen to the song.
Kleyder - קליידער
Kleyder - קליידער \KLEY-der\ Pl. Noun:
Clothes, garments.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation. Synonyms: begodim (בגדים); malbushim (מלבושים); vesh (וועש) (though the last is used more in reference to clothing that is being or has been washed).
German equivalent: Kleider, Kleidung, Kledasche.
Etymology: The word derives from the German...
Zis - זיס
Zis - זיס \ZIS\ Adjective:
Sweet, cute; fresh (of water); suave.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: Cheyne(v)dik [חנע(וו)דיק], batamt (באטעמט).
German equivalent: süß, posseirlich, herzig.
Etymology: The word is derived directly from the German süß (as mentioned on other occasions, “ü” in German often translates into...
Pushke - פושקע
Pushke - פושקע \PUSH-ke\ Noun:
A tin can, particularly an alms box.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation. Alternative pronunciations: PUSH-kee, PISH-ke, PISH-kee.
German equivalent: Apparently, there is no German equivalent for this word. In fact, it would seem that very few languages have a single word for a container set aside for collecting...
Tanach in Yiddish!
For those interested, Yehoyesh, a famous Yiddish poet and writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, translated all of Tanach into Yiddish. The University of Haifa launched the Yehoyesh Project to put these translations on the web. While not exactly representative of a traditional approach to the Bible, nor necessarily completely accurate in all places, the Yehoyesh translation is...
