bulvan

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Pronunciations

bulvan (buul-VAHN) listen
בולוואאן (בולבאן) listen

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Definitions

  • n. An idiot, boor, oaf.

Example Sentences

  • “Any bulvon could do that.” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Yiddish, alternatively בולװאַן bulván, באַלװאַן balván, or באָלװאַן bolván 'moron, dummy; tailor's mannequin'

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      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).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      buvon, bulvon, bovan

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