pintele yid

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Pronunciations

pintele yid (PIN-teh-leh YIHD) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Essential Jewishness; the essence of a Jew.

Example Sentences

  • "A lot of sentimental stories of the shtetl deal with the pintele yid."

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • דאָס פּינטעלע ייִד dos píntele yíd. lit. 'the dot of the Jew; the quintessence of one's Jewish identity'

      • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

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

      Alternative Spellings

      pintale yid, pintala yid

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