davka

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Pronunciations

davka (DAHV-kuh) listen

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Definitions

  • adv. "Definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser).

  • adv. Even; despite expectations to the contrary -- often with a slightly amused or ironic feeling of "wouldn't you know it?" or "of all things" ("of all people" ... etc.)

  • adv. Just to annoy, just to be contrary

Example Sentences

  • "It's davka the worst students who require the most attention."

  • "They drive on Shabbat, davka." "He'd be a nice guy if he wasn't so davka." (source)

  • "You have to love the person, davka with their faults." (source)

  • "Many times people get into fights davka because they care so much about the person they're dealing with." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Aramaic
  • Yiddish
  • Modern Hebrew

Etymology

  • דווקא

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Israel: Diaspora Jews who feel connected to Israel and have spent time there

      Regions

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

      Dictionaries

      • 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).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).
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      Alternative Spellings

      dafka, dafke

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