gey avek

Pronunciations

gey avek (gey ah-VEK) listen

Definitions

  • interj. Go away!

Example Sentences

  • "When Molly gets annoyed at her cats, she tells them to 'gey avek!'"

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • גײ אַװעק (singular imperative of אַװעקגײן avékgeyn 'to go away, leave')

    • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      gay avek

Notes

  • The Yiddish imperative 'go away!' is גײט אַװעק geyt avek when there is more than one addressee or in formal settings.

    See also gey and avek.

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