This page is an appeal to expand the most comprehensive Yiddish-English dictionary to date by Beinfeld/Bochner/Niborski/Vaisbrot. As a Yiddish translator, I find words, variant definitions of existing words, and many abbreviations that are simply not in the dictionary. I have started compiling a list, which I would gladly see incorporated in the dictionary’s second edition.
I will attempt to systematically show my proof for the given definitions, using examples from the original written Yiddish samples. At the same time, I have not chosen to add non-YIVO standard spelling, or German/English words simply written in Hebrew letters. The following are words that I believe truly should be new entries in the standard Yiddish dictionary.
Let me know what words you haven’t been able to find using the comment feature below!
New Yiddish Words
אין – in
to
e.g., “to bring you and the children to a new country and have a happy life.” ((15.22.24))
אױך – oykh
even
e.g., “Even Aunt Goldi knows this…”
אױסבױערן – oysboyern
to dig out, to bore into((15.9.7))
אונדז – undz
2. we
e.g., “Undz shrayben nisht tsu keyn kinder zey zolen undz shikn gelt.” (We don’t write to any of the children to send us money.((15.8.2)))
אַזױרימעט – azoyermet
with it (?)
comp. אַזױנאָך
alt. spelling אַזױאַרימעט
Confirmation: eydes.de
אָנברעכן – onbrekhn
אָנברעכן די בײנער – onbrekhn di beyner
to beat up (See בײן)
אַרומרײַסערײַען זיך – arumrayserayen zikh
see אַרומרײַסן זיך
(squabble, bicker)
באַהיטן – bahitn
באַהיטע גאָט – bahite got!
God forbid!
בײדנס – beydns
(check in dictionary) – both of ours
בינסטו – binstu
(check in dictionary) – are you
בעפֿאָרשטײענד – beforshteyend
upcoming((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/999359336618045440))
גיטלער – gitler
Hitler (Adolf)((15.19.1))
גלײַכן – glaykhen – geglikhn
3. to like
e.g., “Mir hobn gedarft trogn an uniform mit a kakarde un dos hob ikh zeyer geglikhn.”
Confirmation: eydes.de
קומען צום גרונט – גרונט – grunt – kumen tsum grunt
alt. to גײן צום גרונט – sink, be in jeopardy((15.20.2))
געפֿאַרפֿול – gefarful
dangerous((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/997513651086118918))
גרונטקאַפּיטאַל – gruntkapital
investments, stocks((15.9.3))
Confirmation: Algemeiner Journal
װאַרנישקעס – varnishkes
see װאַרניטשקעס
Confirmation: eydes.de
װידערװײלונג – viderveylung
reelection((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/998749250610659328))
װילי – vili
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/996810486850170880))
װעמענען – vemenen
see װעמען (whom)
Confirmation: eydes.de
װערעמעט – veremet
how((15.8.5))
Confirmation1: alt. spelling װירימעט (see book)
Confirmation2: eydes.de
זיאַלעװען זיך – zialeven zikh
to wait, expect, watch for((15.8.5))
Confirmation: book – Russian translation: жадвть
טוצן – tutsn
dozen((15.8.4))
Confirmation: eydes.de
יעדערן – yedern
everyone (accusative)
see יעדערער
e.g., “azoy vi ikh shik yedern eyn karte fun mir, azoy shik ikh dir oykh eyn.” (“Just like I send everyone a picture of me, I am sending you one too.((15.8.8)))
Confirmation: eydes.de
ישובֿניק – yeshuvnik
see ייִשובֿניק
(Jewish country bumpkin)
Confirmation: eydes.de
נצ’לניק – natshalnik началник, начальник
manager, supervisor
alt. spelling נאצאילניק ((15.8.1))
Confirmation: eydes.de, נאַטשאַלניק , natshalnik
פּאָרטעליאָן – portillon
doorman, porter((15.9.6))
פּײפּערל – peyperl
paper, paper for rolling cigarettes
Confirmation: eydes.de
פֿאַרנעכטן – farnekhtn
day before yesterday, two days ago((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/996387733605056514))
פֿלעג – fleg
would (in the habitual past)
e.g., “…a taykh, vu men flegt zumer geyen bodn.” (…a river, where people used to go swimming in the summer.)
Confirmation: eydes.de
פֿרױ
ערשטע פֿרױ – ershte froy
First Lady of the United States((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/996539918695501824))
צװירן – tsvirn
thread((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/997459351441944576))
קאַרטע – karte
picture
e.g., “azoy vi ikh shik yedern eyn karte fun mir, azoy shik ikh dir oykh eyn.” (“Just like I’m sending everyone a picture of me, I’m sending you one too.((15.8.8)))
Confirmation: eydes.de
קאַשע־װאַרנישקעס – kashe-varnishkes
see קאַשע־װאַרניטשקעס
bowtie pasta with buckwheat
Confirmation: eydes.de
קוזײנג – kuzeyng
see קוזינין – cousin((15.20.II.2, 15.19.II.1))
קומזיץ – kumzits
singalong((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/999284918344732672))
קטלא קניא – katle kanye
simpleton((https://twitter.com/jewyid/status/997073121147543552))
שעצן זיך – shetzn zikh
to consider oneself
Ikh shetz zikh mir glikhlekh.((15.9.3))
Confirmation: hebrewbooks
New Yiddish Abbreviations
‘ג – g’
got – God (equivalent to writing G-d)
גצ”ד – gts”d
got tzu danken – thank God
ק”ק – k”k
postcard((15.25.J-Gl1.17))
צב”ש – tsb”sh
tsum bayshpil – for example
צ”ג – ts”g
tsu gesund – bye
Hebrew Abbreviations
This section is for additional abbreviations that I’ve seen in handwritten Yiddish letters but which are Hebrew abbreviations. These are also not listed in the dictionary.
חו”ש – khv”sh – khas v’shalom – God forbid
כ”ט – k”t – kol tuv – all the best
למ”ה – lm”h – lma’an hashem – For the sake of heaven – context: “you should, lm”h, follow the …”((Kaplan will2))
רמ”ל – rm”l – rachmane litzlan – God help us((15.25.J-Gl1.21))
Resources:
Wikipedia: Yiddish abbreviations
Wikipedia: Hebrew abbreviations
Let me know your thoughts using the comment feature below! What words you haven’t been able to find? Can you correct something I wrote?