mazel tov

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Pronunciations

mazal tov (MAH-zil TAHV) listen
mazel tov (MAH-zil TAHF) listen
mazal tov (mah-ZAHL TOHV) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. Congratulations.

Example Sentences

  • "Mazel Tof, Zoe. What a great job you did."

    Listen to recordings of this sentence: ( Recording 1)

  • "Three mazel tovs in a row!!! Mazel tov to a very close friend on his marriage wednesday night. Mazel tov to another friend of mine on his marriage yesterday (thursday). Mazel tov to my nephew on his upcoming marriage this monday!!" (source)

  • "Fran's had a baby girl!" "Mazel tov!" (Glinert)

  • "Guess what, Debbie's engaged!" "Wow, at last! Mazel tov!" (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish
  • Modern Hebrew

Etymology

  • TH מזל טוב > MH מזל טוב mazál tov, lit. 'good fortune', Y מזל־טובֿ mázl-tov

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      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).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      mazl tov, mazal tof, mazal tov, mazel tov, mazol tov, mazeltof, mazeltov, mazel toff

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