jew | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

40 entries found.

late 12c., Giw, Jeu, "a Jew (ancient or modern), one of the Jewish race or religion," from Anglo-French iuw, Old French giu (Modern French Juif), from Latin Iudaeum (nominative Iudaeus), from Greek Ioudaios, from Aramaic (Semitic) jehudhai (Hebrew y'hudi) "a Jew," from Y'hudah "Judah," literally "celebrated," name of Jacob's fourth son and of the tribe descended from him.

Spelling with J- predominated from 16c. Replaced Old English Iudeas "the Jews," which is from Latin. As an offensive and opprobrious term, "person who seeks gain by sordid means," c. 1600. Jews' harp "simple mouth harp" is from 1580s, earlier Jews' trump (1540s); the connection with Jewishness is obscure, unless it is somehow biblical.

In uneducated times, inexplicable ancient artifacts were credited to Jews, based on the biblical chronology of history: such as Jews' money (1570s) "Roman coins found in England." In Greece, after Christianity had erased the memory of classical glory, ruins of pagan temples were called "Jews' castles," and in Cornwall, Jews' houses was the name for the remains of ancient tin-smelting works.

jew (v.)

"to cheat, to drive a hard bargain," 1824, from Jew (n.) (compare gyp, welsh, etc.). "Though now commonly employed without direct reference to the Jews as a race, it is regarded by them as offensive and opprobrious" [Century Dictionary, 1902]. The campaign to eliminate it in early 20c. was so successful that people also began to avoid the noun and adjective, using Hebrew instead.

Now I'll say 'a Jew' and just the word Jew sounds like a dirty word and people don't know whether to laugh or not. [Lenny Bruce, "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People," 1965]

Jew-baiting (n.)

1853, in reference to German Judenhetze; see Jew (n.) + baiting. Related: Jew-baiter.

Judaeo-

also Judeo-, word-forming element meaning "of or pertaining to the Jewish people or religion," from Latin Iudaeus (see Jew (n.)).

Jewess (n.)

"Jewish woman," late 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), from Old French juise, fem. of jüif (see Jew).

Jewry (n.)

c. 1200, Jeuerie "ghetto, the Jewish district in a town," from Anglo-French Juerie, Old French Juierie (13c.; Modern French Juiverie); see Jew + -ery. Early 14c. as "Jews collectively;" mid-14c. as "the land of the Jews, Judea."

jewfish (n.)

1670s, from Jew (n.) + fish (n.). A guess at the name from 1690s suggests it is so called for being a "clean" fish according to Levitical laws.

Judaic (adj.)

1610s, from French judaïque (15c.), and directly from Latin Iudaicus, from Greek Ioudaikos, from Ioudaios "Jew" (see Jew). Earlier in same sense was Judaical (late 15c.).

Judaism (n.)

c. 1400 (attested in Anglo-Latin from mid-13c.), from Old French Judaisme and directly from Late Latin Judaismus, from Greek Ioudaismos, from Ioudaios "Jew" (see Jew). The Anglo-Latin reference is from a special tax levied on the Jews of England. Earlier in same sense was Juhede "Jewish faith, Judaism," literally "Jew-hood" (early 14c.).

Jewish (adj.)

1540s, from Jew + -ish. Old English had Iudeisc; early Middle English used Judewish, Judeish (late 12c.). Similar formation in Dutch joodsch, Old High German judeisk, German jüdisch, Danish jödisk. Figurative use in reference to extortionate money-lending attested by c. 1600.

Trending words