gevald

Pronunciations

Definitions

  • interj. An interjection of alarm.

Example Sentences

  • "Gevald! Why did you put that slimy thing in my sleeping bag?!"

    Listen to recordings of this sentence: ( Recording 1)

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • גװאַלד gvald 'violence, force; help!'

    • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      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).

      Alternative Spellings

      gevalt, oy gevald, oy gevalt

Notes

  • See also oy.

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