pushke

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Pronunciations

pushke (PUSH-keh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A container with a slot in the top to insert money to be given to charity.

  • n. A can.

  • n. Savings; a nest egg.

Example Sentences

  • "Every week you put a little in the pushke."

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • פּושקע pushke '(tin) can; (alms) box'

      • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America
      • South Africa

      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).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      pishkey, pushkey, pushka, pushkie, pishke

Notes

  • See also tzedakah box.

    In some games popularly played by Jews, such as mah jonh, 'pushke' can also refer to money gambled.

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