yachna

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Pronunciations

yachna (YAHKH-neh)

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Definitions

  • n. A gossipy woman; busybody.

Example Sentences

  • "All the old yachnas standing on the corner..."

  • “She has the manners of a yakhne." (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • יאַכנע yakhne, a female given name that fell out of fashion

      • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • Great Britain
      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      yachne, yakhne

Notes

  • Similar to yenta, which also derives from a Yiddish given name that fell out of fashion.

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