A Little Yiddish Dictionary

In distinction to Sephardic Jewish communities originating around the Mediterranean, Yiddish belongs to the world of Ashkenazi Jewry of central and eastern Europe. It developed beginning in the 10th century. Yiddish literally means "Jewish" but is derived largely from German though a Hebrew influence is evident. It is written with the characters of the Hebrew alphabet. Yiddish commonly referred to as mame-loshon or the "mother tongue". In contrast, Hebrew and to some extent Aramaic are collectively termed loshon-kodesh or "holy tongue".

The widespread dispersion of Jewish communities in central and eastern Europe resulting in dialects known designated as "Western Yiddish" to "Eastern Yiddish". The Eastern dialects remain in use today. Western Yiddish owes its decline in part to the assimilation to German language and culture and the creation of the modern Hebrew movement. The major differentiation between the two "dialects" lies in the inclusion of words of Slavic origin in the Eastern form. In eastern communities, where Jews were largely insulated from the effects of political and social emancipation, Yiddish was a critically cohesive force.

By the early part of the 20th century, growing Jewish communities caused Yiddish to emerged as a major Eastern European language and found increasing expression via Yiddish theater and film. A range of Yiddish literature was produced. The consequences of the Holocaust, the resettlement of large numbers of Jews to both the west as well as the newly formed state of Israel, however, saw a dramatic fall in the number of Yiddish speakers. This is a trend that has continued until today.

The one possible exception to the sharp decline of Yiddish speakers can be found among in Orthodox Haredi communities largely found in the United States and some European cities. In some communities, Yiddish is spoken at home as well as in school. Hasidic communities of Brooklyn's Borough Park, Williamsburg and Crown Heights reflect a few places in the United States where Yiddish remains strong. Interestingly, while Hebrew remains the language of Jewish prayer, Hasidim have also mixed some Yiddish into their liturgy and have also been responsible for maintaining its use.

I hope this expanding free Yiddish dictionary and glossary below will prove helpful and entertaining. It will expand over time.

ABI GEZUNT: (as) long as you're healthy

ALTER COCKER: typically an older and complaining person.

AY-YAY-YAY: A joyous, and at times sarcastic exclamation.

BALABUSTA: The wife of an important person or a domineering woman.

BISSEL: A little bit of something.

BOBBEMYSEH: Old wives' tales.

BOYCHICK: An friendly term for a young boy.

BROCHE: A prayer or blessing.

BUBBA: grandmother.

BUBBALA: A term of endearment, (i.e. dear).

BUPKES: valueless.

CHAYA: An animal.