nebach

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Pronunciations

nebach (NEH-buhkh) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. Alas; too bad; unfortunately.

  • adv. Unfortunately.

  • adj. Unfortunate.

  • n. An unfortunate person.

  • n. A non-entity; ineffectual person.

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Example Sentences

  • "Nebach, his father died when he was very young."

  • "Look at him all wet and cold. I'd hate to be that nebach."

  • "Nebach Shlomo just lost all his money in an internet scam."

  • “Whom did she marry? A real nebekh!” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • נעבעך nebekh

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      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).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).

      Alternative Spellings

      nebukh, nebakh, nebekh, nebech, nebuch, nebbach, nebbukh, nebbakh, nebbekh, nebbech, nebbuch, lo yitzlach, lo yitzlakh, lo yitslach, lo yitslakh

Notes

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