Meanings
shabbos goy1
plural shabbos goys · plural shabbos goyim
- A gentile who performs certain acts which are forbidden to observant Jews on Shabbat, such as kindling fire.
Sometimes the family was helped on the Sabbath by a shabbos goy who would light some candles in their house.
Synonyms: Sabbath Gentile, Sabbath goy
- derogatoryoffensivewhite supremacyA gentile who holds philo-Semitic views, and is perceived as being subservient to Jewish people.
Shabbos Goy2
plural Shabbos Goys
- alternativeAlternative spelling of shabbos goy.
Shabbos goy3
plural Shabbos goys
- alternativeAlternative spelling of shabbos goy.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA gentile who performs certain acts which are forbidden to observant Jews on Shabbat, such as kindling fire.
Origin
- Yiddishשבת גוי
- Englishshabbos goy
Borrowed from Yiddish שבת גוי (shabes goy, literally “Sabbath gentile”).
More words from Yiddish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch sjabbesgoj
- sjabbesgoja gentile servant
Esperanto ŝabatgojo
- ŝabatgojoa gentile servant
French shabbes goy
- shabbes goya gentile servant
German Schabbes-Goj
- Schabbes-Goja gentile servant
Hebrew גוי של שבת
- גוי של שבת (goy shel shabat)a gentile servant
Polish szabes goj, szabes-goj
- szabes goja gentile servant
- szabes-goja gentile servant
- goj szabatowya gentile servant
Russian шабесгой
- шабесгой (shabesgoy)a gentile servant
Swedish shabbesgoj
- shabbesgoja gentile servant
Yiddish שבת גוי
- שבת גוי (shabes goy)a gentile servant
Cite this entry
shabbos goy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shabbos%20goy
“shabbos goy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shabbos%20goy. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shabbos goy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shabbos%20goy.
Source: shabbos goy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.