berya

Edit

Pronunciations

berya (BER-yeh) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. A skillful, energetic woman (especially in housekeeping).

Example Sentences

  • "My, she is a berye!" (Rosten)

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • בריה Yiddish berye 'efficient, skillful person'

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older

      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).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      berriah, berrieh, berye, beria

Notes

  • Similar to balabusta, but perhaps places more emphasis on skill.

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.