gelt

Definitions

• Money (slang usage)
• "The foil wrapped chocolate coins that are a traditional Hanukkah treat for children." (JPS)

Example Sentences

• "For Chanukah we give out gelt."
• "Yossi spent a considerable amount of money for the membership fees, and lots of gelt on jogging outfits, BUT NEVER LOST A POUND!" (http://www.marjoriegottliebwolfe.com/articles/details/Shnorrer_Khazer_Shporevdiker_Aynbrenger_or_Kar/)

Languages of Origin

Yiddish

Etymology

געלט

Who Uses This

Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
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).
The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

Notes

From the Yiddish word for money, cognate to English "gold."