mensch

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Pronunciations

mensch (mensh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. "An upright, honorable, a decent person." (Rosten)

Example Sentences

  • "Robert is such a mensch. Not only does he volunteer at the old age home, but he even goes out of his way to help his friends move."

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • מענטש mentsh 'man, human being; responsible/mature person'

      • 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
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      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).
      • 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

      mentsch, mensh, mench, mentsh, mentch

Notes

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