nebach

Edit

Pronunciations

nebach (NEH-buhkh) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • interj. Alas; too bad; unfortunately.

  • adv. Unfortunately.

  • adj. Unfortunate.

  • n. An unfortunate person.

  • n. A non-entity; ineffectual person.

  • View More

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)

  • View More

Record a Sentence

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
      • 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).
      • 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

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.