Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Yiddish ·1900s
Oy vey
from oy vey
- Meaning
- An exclamation of dismay or exasperation.
- Source word
- oy vey
- Route into English
- Yiddish *oy* (oh) + *vey* (woe, from German *Weh*) → American English. A complete phrase borrowed as a unit, which is rare; most loans are single words.
- Arrived
- 1900s
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.
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