mekhasheyfe

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Definitions

  • n. (literally and figuratively) A witch.

Example Sentences

  • "My mother still doesn't know what mekhasheyfe means!" (source)

  • "Well, the alt mekhasheyfe (old witch) can scrub her dimples at home!” (The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH מְכַשֵׁפָה > Y מכשפֿה makhsheyfe

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      mechasheyfe, mekhashayfe, mechashayfe, mekhasheyfeh, mechasheyfeh, mekhashayfeh, mechashayfeh, makhesheyfe, machesheyfe, makhesheyfeh, machesheyfeh, machashefa, makhashefa, machashefah, makhashefa, makhashefah

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