Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Yiddish ·1860s
Mazel tov
from מזל טוב (mazl tov)
- Meaning
- A congratulatory exclamation.
- Source word
- מזל טוב (mazl tov)
- Route into English
- Yiddish *mazl tov* (from Hebrew *mazzāl ṭôb*, "good constellation" — i.e. good fortune) → English via American Jewish life, and now used widely as a generic congratulation at weddings and milestones.
- Arrived
- 1860s
From Yiddish
Mass migration from Ashkenazi Eastern Europe to New York (1880–1920) funnelled Yiddish into American English, from where it diffused globally.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.