halevai

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Pronunciations

halevai (hah-leh-VYE) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. If only; I wish.

  • v. I wish, I hope.

Example Sentences

  • "'In a few years we'll celebrate at your son's bris.' 'Halevai!'"

  • "Halevai it snowed and I wouldn't have to go to English today." (Weiser)

  • "You're making it sound like just seeing tzitzit automatically makes someone think about the mitzvot. Halevai!" (source)

  • “Next year could be better, halevay.” (NJY)

  • “He has a chance of getting into Harvard. Halevay!” (NJY)

  • “Sick? He’s dying, the poor man—halevay [I hope] I am wrong.” (NJY)

  • “They warned me a hundred times. I should have listened. Halevay.” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Aramaic
  • Yiddish
  • Modern Hebrew

Etymology

  • MH הלוואי halevay, Y הלװאַי (h)alevay

      • Who Uses This

      • Israel: Diaspora Jews who feel connected to Israel and have spent time there
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

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

      halivai, alevay, halevay, halvay, halavai, alevai

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