Surf Wiki
Save to docs
geography/germany

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Mensch

Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor

Summary

Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor

Mensch or mentsh () is a Yiddish word which literally translates to "person", and figuratively means "a person of integrity and honour". Jewish American humourist Leo Rosten describes a mentsh as "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous". The term is used as a high compliment, implying the rarity and value of that individual's qualities.

Overview

The Yiddish mensch developed alongside the Middle High German mensch, both derived from the Old High German mennisco. The spelling "mentsh" is used less frequently than "mensch", but the former is the transliteration recommended by the YIVO.

Mensch has migrated as a loanword into Yinglish and American English with the German spelling to refer not to a person, but a particularly good person, similar to a "stand-up guy": a person with the qualities one would hope for in a friend or trusted colleague. Mentshlekhkeyt () likewise literally means "humanity" but can also refer to the properties which make a person a mensch.

The word mensch and the underlying concept have had an impact on popular culture. The Mensch on a Bench is a 2012 Hanukkah-themed book and doll set parodying The Elf on the Shelf. A life-size version of the doll was adopted as the mascot of Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic in 2016. According to pitcher Gabe Cramer, "The Mensch is a great way to have fun in the dugout while reminding us of why we're here and who we're representing".

Notes

References

References

  1. "[https://englishyiddishdictionary.com/ceyd?eq=%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%A9&ql=yb&id=PTdc person]". ''The Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary''.
  2. "[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mensch mensch]". ''[[Merriam-Webster]]''
  3. (1974). "[[The Joys of Yiddish]]". Penguin.
  4. [[Michael Wex]], ''How to Be a Mentsh (And Not a Shmuck)'', 2009, p. 20
  5. Gloster, Rob. (7 March 2017). "Team Israel scores another surprise baseball win – with a Marin pitcher".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

yiddish-words-and-phrases german-words-and-phrases
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Mensch — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report