nifter

Alternative Spellings

niftar

Definitions

• deceased

Example Sentences

• "My grandmother was nifter last month."

Languages of Origin

Textual Hebrew, Yiddish

Etymology

Heb נפטר niftár '(masculine singular) passed away' (infinitive להיפטר lehipatér), Yiddish ניפֿטר װערן nífter vern 'to pass away' (periphrastic verb with invariant Hebrew element)

Who Uses This

Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

Notes

Used as a periphrastic verb (with the verb "to be")