mensch

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Pronunciations

mensch (MENSH) listen

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Definitions

  • n. An upright, honorable person.

  • n. A human being.

Example Sentences

  • "Robert is such a mensch. Not only does he volunteer at the old age home, but he even goes out of his way to help his friends move."

  • “Come on, act like a mentsh.” (NJY)

  • “After all, he is a mentsh, not an animal.” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • מענטש mentsh

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      mentsch, mensh, mench, mentsh, mentch

Notes

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