feigele

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Pronunciations

feigele (FAY-guh-luh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A gay man.

  • n. A little bird.

  • n. A helpless, innocent child.

Example Sentences

  • "Dan came out—he's a faygeleh!"

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • פֿײגעלע féygele 'little bird', from פֿויגל foygl 'bird'

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).

      Alternative Spellings

      feigala, feigela, feigaleh, feygeleh, faygeleh, feigalah, feygele

Notes

  • To refer to gay men this word is usually considered offensive.

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