keinehora

Pronunciations

keinehora (KAY-nah HOR-a) listen
keneine hora (ke-NAY-nuh HUH-ruh) listen

Definitions

  • interj. God forbid; an expression uttered after positive information to ward off the evil eye or bad luck.

  • interj. An expression to show that one's praises are unenvious and genuine.

Example Sentences

  • "He's eighty-seven years old, keinehora."

  • "Your daughter has grown up to be so beautiful, kein ayin hara."

  • “That man is an angel, keyn eynhore." (NJY)

  • "My son is first in his graduating class, kinehore." (source)

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y קײן עין־הרע ke(y)n eyn(h)óre/ayen-hóre, lit. 'no evil eye'

    • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      kaynahara, keyn ayin hara, kanehore, keineinehora, kine-ahora, kein ayin hara, kaynahora, kainahora, kainehora, keinahora, keyn eynhore, kayn aynhoreh, kineahora, keinahora, kinehora, kainahora, kinehore, keinehore, kainehore

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