Etymology

Yiddish

Y4I1D2D2I1S1H4

Today it means: Of or pertaining to the Yiddish language. Full definition →

Yiddish ייִדיש (yidish) ← Middle High German jüdesch ← Old High German judeisc
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The story

  1. Proto-Semitic*yad-
  2. Hebrewיָדָה (yadá)
  3. Hebrewיהודה
  4. Ancient GreekἸουδά (Ioudá)
  5. Ancient GreekἸουδαῖος (Ioudaîos)
  6. Latiniūdaeus
  7. Old High Germanjudeo
  8. Old High Germanjudeisc
  9. Middle High Germanjüdesch
  10. Yiddishייִדיש (yidish)
  11. English todayYiddish

Borrowed from Yiddish ייִדיש (yidish), from Middle High German jüdisch (in reference to the language, more fully jüdischdiutsch (literally “Jewish-German”)). By surface analysis, Yid + -ish. Piecewise doublet of Jewish.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.