mensch

Pronunciations

mensch

(mensh)

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."
  

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

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