yotzmach

Alternative Spellings

yutzmach, yutsmach, yotsmach, yutzmakh, yotzmakh, yutsmakh, yotsmakh

Definitions

• a fool, a clueless person, someone who doesn't know what they're doing

Languages of Origin

Aramaic

Etymology

Likely from the Chasidish use of the phrase וְיַצְמַח פּוּרְקָנֵהּ וִיקָרֵב מְשִׁיחֵהּ v'yatzmach purkanei vikarev meshichei 'may He (G-d) cause His redemption to flourish and hasten the coming of His mashiach' in the Kaddish.

Who Uses This

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

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

None

Notes

Originally a pejorative term for Chasidim as applied by misnagdim (Eastern European Jews who resisted the rise of Chasidism); 'yutz' may be a shortened form of 'yutzmach' .