oy vey

Edit

Pronunciations

oy vey (oy-VAY) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • interj. Exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise.

Example Sentences

  • "Oy vey, Jessica is such a pretty and smart girl. Why can't she find a husband already?"

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • אױ װײ oy vey 'oh woe'

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

      Dictionaries

      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      oi vey, oi vei, oi vay

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