kishef

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Definitions

  • n. Witchcraft, magic.

Example Sentences

  • "Motl had wonderful Rachel Botchan as Basye asking her to save them with some kishef, some magic, and my Bobe cries, 'Nishtu keyn kishef af der velt,' there is no magic that can save us in this world, 'nor di fayern fin genehem af yener velt!' — for us there are only the fires of Hell in the world to come! " (source)

  • “Its vivid pages teem with natural and supernatural life and dramatic and comedic incident ... revolution is in the air, chaos is in the streets, and kishef – magic – is everywhere.” (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • כּישוף kishef

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

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

      Alternative Spellings

      kishuf

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