Shabbos goy

Pronunciations

Shabbos goy

(SHAH-biss goy)

Definitions

• n. "A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores [that are forbidden] for a Jew on the Sabbath or holidays." (Steinmetz)
  

Example Sentences

• "One of my favorite things about living with all those Jews was being the Shabbos goy."
  

Languages of Origin

• Textual Hebrew
• Yiddish

Etymology

• Yiddish שבת־גױ shábes-goy
  

Who Uses This

• Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
• Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
• Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

Regions

• North America

Dictionaries

• The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
• The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
• Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

Alternative Spellings

Shabbes goy, Shabes goy, Shabbas goy