kotso shel yud

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Definitions

  • interj. A small thing, a minutia.

Example Sentences

  • "I can't work with him. He won't allow you to change a kotso shel yud." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • קוצו של יוד kotzo shel yud 'the top edge of the yud'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      kotzo shel yod, kotso shel yod, kotzo shel yud

Notes

  • "The tiniest letter of the Hebrew alef-bet is the yud. And atop the yud is a tiny scribal stroke, called a kots. Hardly surprising, then, that kotso shell yud has come to signify the tiniest thing (just like the Greek letter iota, in fact)." (Glinert)

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