mensch

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*manniskaz“human”
2. Old High German · derived frommennisko“man, human being”
3. Middle High German · derived frommensch
4. Yiddish · borrowed fromמענטש“an honorable person”
5. English todaymensch

From Yiddish מענטש (mentsh, “an honorable person”), from Middle High German mensch, mensche, mennische, from Old High German mennisko (“man, human being”), from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). The spelling mensch was influenced by German Mensch; compare the alternative spellings. Doublet of mennish; compare also mense. For the semantics, compare Latin humanē (“kindly, courteously”), English humane.

Words from the same roots