[The Face of Dutch]

HEBREW WORDS IN DUTCH (mostly via Yiddish)

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English, Dutch and German Words from A Common Root
Everyday Dutch Words for basic conversation and reading
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Vermeer's World - Rembrandt - Old New York - Sailors and Ships of The 17th Century
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An Example

Enno Endt and Lieneke Frerich's Bargoens Woordenboek (Bert Bakker, Amsterdam 1991) gives this quip about the 1936 Italian invasion of Ethiopia (the 'Negus' is Ethiopia's emperor): Nieges Negus, nages nog'es hear MP3 (A bad thing, Negus; better luck another time.)

The Jews of Holland

After the 1492/98 expulsions from Spain and Portugal, some 25.000 Jews found refuge in Holland, where they soon were to make an important contribution to the Golden Age of Dutch commercial enterprise (1600- 1750); but the poor philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) lived in Holland too.
Some ladino names still survive, like Texeira de Mattos, Jesserun d'Oliveira, Bueno de Mesquita and Lopez Cardoso. Later, Jews from Eastern Europe also settled in Holland.
In 1940, some 140.000 Jews were living in Holland, 110.000 Dutch and 30.000 refugees; 105.000 perished in the Second World War. At present, some 30.000 reside in Holland.
The majority of the Dutch Jews used to live in Amsterdam, 80.000 in 1940; I would consider most of the words from the second list Amsterdam slang.
I was not aware of the non-Germanic roots of many of these words.
The Yiddish and Hebrew words are transliterated to a Dutch pronunciation.

Dutch

In Dutch, like in most European languages, vowels are pronounced differently from English; also, very few letters are silent in Dutch.
The Dutch like to use dimunitives, formed by adding -je or -tje at the end of a word. Dutch verb infinitives end in -en.
Dutch Pronunciation: short treatment - fuller treatment

DISCLAIMER
Most of the words from the following lists are slang terms, not meant for
polite conversation: I do not recommend their use by non-native speakers
and cannot be held responsible for accidents resulting from their use.

HEBREW/YIDDISH WORDS IN COMMON DUTCH

afgepeigerd - bajes - blauw - dalles - gabber - gajes - gannef - hear
bolleboos - hear
Daar ga je! - hear
geinig - geintje - gesjochten - geteisem - gis - goochem - goser - hear
gotspe - heibel - heitje - hoteldebotel - jajem - jat - jatten - hear
joetje - jofel - kapsones - kassiewijle - kinnesinne - klabak - hear
koetsiertje - koter - lammetje - lou loene - mazzel - meier - mesjogge - hear
lef - hear
mies - miesgasser - miesponum - miesmacher - Mokum - turfmolm - ongein - hear
pennen - penose - piegem - pleite - poen - ponum, porum - hear
rachmones - ramsj - schorem - sjikse - sjoege - sjofel - hear
smeris - smoezen - sores - stiekem - tof - togus, tokus - hear

The 'Hebrew' column is an unfortunate mixture of mostly Dutch transcriptions (either Sephardic or Ashkenazic) and some modern Hebrew. I hope to clean this up sometime.

Dutch word Meaning Yiddish Hebrew Meaning Contributor, notes
afgepeigerddead-tired-pègercorpse, dead body
bajesjail-bajithhouse Den Besten
blauwdrunkblaube-lowithout, nothing note
bolleboos intelligent person
(ironic)
baal habojesba'al ha-bajiet Master of the house,
head of the family
Dasberg
daar ga je!
("there you go!")
Cheers!-LeChayimTo life! Cheers! Tal'or
dallespoverty-dalloetpoverty
gabbera friendchawwerchover
pl. chaverim
comrade Den Besten
gajesbad people-gajies military unit Den Besten
or: chajeschajjoth animals, livestockDen Besten
gannefa thief-ganavthief Bos
geinigfunny-cheenfavor, charm
geintjea joke-cheenfavor, charm
gesjochtenimpoverishedsjechten,
scheschten
lishchot to butcher Den Besten, Bos
geteisempunks, bad peoplechatteisem
(chattes)
chatat sinful Van Bladel
Den Besten, note
giscleverchesches, chetcharacter ch for
goochem
Den Besten
goochemclever-gochomwise
gosera man (unfavorable)-chatanson- in-law, groomDen Besten
gotspeinsolent brutalitychotspe choetspainsolence Den Besten, note
heibeltrouble, commotionheibelhewela vain causeDen Besten
heitjea quarter, 25 centscharacter hei character he5 (5 nickels)Den Besten
hoteldebotelconfused - awar oe-woteel gone and disappeared
jajemDutch gin (jenever)jajen jajinwine Den Besten
jata handjad jadhand Den Besten
jattento stealjad jadhand Den Besten
joetjeten guilders billcharacter joed character jod10 Den Besten
jofelgood, nicejofe jophehnice, useful Den Besten
kapsones'airs', cockinessgawsonesga-awtanoet hubris
kassiewijledied, gone- hasjiweinoebring us back
(to your temple)
Rubinstein, note
kinnesinneenvy, jealousy- kin'a sin'a"at each other's throat,"
envy and hate
Bos
(klabaka policeman- ? kèlewdog) Den Besten
koetsiertjecheap brandy,
a glass of
chatsochatsiehalf (volume) note
kotera childkotenkatansmall Den Besten
lammetje1½ guilder, 150 ¢- character lamed30 (30 nickels) note
lef"guts, nerve"lef levheart Bos
louloeneno result- lou lonoenot for us (Psal. 115)
mazzelluck, lucky break- mazalconstellation Weindling, note
meier100 guilders bill- mei'ohone hundred note
mesjoggecrazy- meshugoinsane
miesdispleasing, uglymiesmioesinferiority
miesgasserunpleasant personchazzer- pig
miesponumunpleasant person- ponimface
miesmachera spoilerGmc. machento make
MokumAmsterdamMokum A.
(= City A.)
makomcity Den Besten
(turf)molmmoneytorfterefmoney note
ongeina nuisance- cheenfavor, charm
pennento have sexpennenpenaitime of rest
penosethe criminal world- parnosohjob, breadwinning
piegema little man- pegimohsmall handicap
pleitegone, disappeared- peleitohescape
poenmoney? melech - panim king - face'Den Besten, note
ponum, porumface- ponimface
rachmonespity- ragamonutpity
ramsjoverstock salerammo-esramma-oet deceit
schorembad people- shor wechamor
or:sheqorim
ox and donkey
lies
Kelderman
sjiksenon-Jewish girlschiksesjiksjohugly young girl
sjoegeknowledge, presumption- tesjoewa/schogach answer/he has witnessed note
sjofellooking poorschopholsjafalwearing rags
smerispolicemansjmieressjemiruth supervision, guard
smoes(je)excuse schmussjemoe'otrumors, reports De Leeuw
smoezento talk with a hidden purpose schmussjemoe'otrumors, reports De Leeuw
sorestrouble, worriestsorestsoroadversity, suffering
stiekemsneakysjtiekesjetieka to be silent
tof'cool', trustworthy- toob, tauwgood
tokus, togesass, behind- tachatthat which is below

MORE HEBREW/YIDDISH WORDS IN DUTCH (less common)

Dutch word Meaning Yiddish Hebrew Meaning Contributor, notes
attenoielo!-adonai eloheinuMy Lord and God
baldoverento "sing" (betray)-baäl doborLord of the Word: informer
bas, beistwobeischaracter bet2
basseroolunpleasant personbar jisroëlson of Israel
bedibbernto talk, telldabberndabarto speak
begieteafraid-be-chitaafraid Den Besten
beisneighborhoodcharacter beischaracter beth (shorthand)Den Besten
bekatteringa reprimand- mequatreigSatan (Greek katègoros)
beseibelento swindleseibelsebeldung
betoegwell-to-do- betoeachcertain
biskopeeexcusespischen peepietchen peeopening mouth
bollebofheadman, chiefballebosbaäl habaïtmaster of the house Den Besten
brogermanboocherbachoerstudent
broochesalutation- berachablessing
chadesjemoneprotestant-hadash emoena new belief
(see also tofelemone)
Van Zuiden, note
dalvento begdalfendalpoor
eidjediesadultery-eesjet iesjanother man's wife
emmes, ippesexcellent-èmèt true
gallemiezebroke-challasjweak
gassiea cap-mechasehcovered
gebroeze(bad) company- chawrussocompany, group
geilinga share-geilekshare, part
gondela prostitutechonte- girl note
gorefsabotage chorew- destroyed
hachelento eatachelenachielafood
hilligadversity, failure- hilluchcorridor/gait
jatmoosday's first earningsee moos
jatschorestolen goodssee schore
jeilescommotion-jelolohlamentations
jelletjeyoung child-jeleedyoung child
jen, janyear in jailJemchen ? Den Besten
jennercard sharperjowen-Greek (famous sharpers)
joukerexpensive, dangerousjoukerjakar expensive, rare Den Besten
kalletjea girl, prostitute-kallabride
kapsbroke? kabtsenkabtsanbeggar
kassaiepaper moneykessawketaw'paperwork'
kedingood, safe- kadienconforming to law
keiltjea glass of gin-keli barrel
kelolespell, charm-kelolehcurse
(kiepento divide moneykipoh/kübbo- vault/room, tent) Den Besten
kimO.K.kenkeen right
koefnoenfree ticket, cheap-characters q and nlike: cost nothing Den Besten
kovethonor-koboudhonor
kriejeadversity-kerie'ahrent in clothes (mourning)
lampetrouble, dangerlamdenlamdonlearned man, overseer
lounot-lonot (Du. lauw = tepid)
lou tofinferior quality-toob, tauwgood
lou sjoegeno knowledge ofsee sjoege
majemwatermajemmajimwater note
majemento rain-majimwater
makkeblow, plague-makkablow, plague
mazemattestolen goods-maso umatontrade
meimusdead-meimitdead
mekajemblow, beating, battle- makkeblow note
melogemjob, task-melochohwork
mesommemoney-mezoemmanready, cash Den Besten
miencreepmienma-amienbeliever (Du. min = low)
mieskatunpleasant person(-kat = Gmc. -keit) mioesinferiority
Dutch word Meaning Yiddish Hebrew Meaning Contributor, notes
misjpogefamily, clan-miesjpachafamily
moosmoneymesz, mäszmo'autmoney
mozerento talk; betray-moseerinformer
muimesbeating-mumbody impairment
nageshappiness, joy-nagatquiet, comfort
nekeiwewoman-nekewawoman
niegesbad, inferiorniechesj- superstitious fear
niesewoman, girl-iesjawoman
nifterento kill-niphtarto kill
olmsold; crazyolomolamworld Den Besten
pagesdisheartened; sick-paachadfear
pargterm of abuseparch? porachto sprout (scabies)
patetterterm of abusepartsefpartsoefface Den Besten
pekaanunder arrestkaankaan here, on the spot
penageseasy, calm- nachatquiet, comfort
piezakkento work hardpisackenpisseachlame, bent
platbribedpolatpeleitohescape
poserfarthing, coin-poshutbasic, simple
potelost, gone- patoerdispensated
rambammild curse- rabbi moosjee ben maimon Maimonides
ratsmodeeruined, to the dogs- AschmedaiAsmodeus (in Tobias)
ribbemoospowerful personRebmosche- (rabbi) Moses
rojemento scout, spyroojenen rô'ôhto see
scheffento be in jail-sheibto sit down
schimface, name, 'fame'-sheimname (Du. schim = shadow)
schoregoods-secorahmerchandise
sereibelin troublesereifeserefafire
(sjaletquestionablecholent probably
not Hebrew
stew prepared in advance)
Weindling, note
sjaskenento booze sjasjenensjasjondrinker Den Besten
sjikkerdrunk-sjikkoordrunk
sjotremthe police- sjautrimcops
soofguilder-zohov (Sefard.)
zahav (Ashknz.)
gold, golden coin Den Besten
spiesehouse, roomSpiesearam. osjpieza'pub' (Latin hospitium)
temeie hear prostitute- temeaunclean Hansse
tinnefjunk, trash-tiennoefdirt
tofelemoneroman catholictofel ommoone toofel (tafeel) emoenaold belief, 'superstition' note
toleJesus-taloej hanged Van Zuiden
treifeunfavourable-terefanot allowed
verkienento sellverkiejenenqinjanproperty, possession Den Besten
versmiegelento betrays'licho- forgiveness
wieberiggone-wajewrach ja'akow and Jacob fled (Genesis)
wijgoochemconceited-wechochme ànd wisdom (too much)
zeperento swindle someone- zeweldung Den Besten

NOTES

Meaning in English sometimes differs, like Dutch
gotspe does not imply courage like chutzpah in American English.
Some word formation was influenced by soundalike Dutch words, like
blauw (drunk), reinforced by the blue (Du. blauw) color of the cheap fuel alcohol.
gondel = gondola,
koetsiertje = coach-driver,
kassiewijle (Du. wijlen means 'the late'); "hashiwenoe lebeit mikdashcha"
lammetje = little lamb,
meier (100 guilders) from mei'oh (100), influenced by the surname;
De Mekajem van Majemloo - the Battle of Waterloo (jocular);
turfmolm = peat pulp.

Tofelemone 'old religion' compares Roman Catholicism with the younger Protestantism (Chadesjemone, 'new belief'); Judaeism is of course much older than both of them. Naftaly Godesh Tal'or suggests it is mocking.

Most words were found in Enno Endt and Lieneke Frerichs: Bargoens Woordenboek (Dutch Slang Dictionary), Bert Bakker, Amsterdam 1991

Hans den Besten sent me a list of about forty corrections and missing Yiddish and/or Hebrew words:
Yiddish corrected or added for: Bollebof, Chotspe, Gesjochten, Gis, Heibel, Heitje, Jajen, Jat, Jatschore, Joetje, Jofel,
Hebrew corrected or added for: Begiete, Gabber, Smeris, Jajem, Koefnoen, Patteter, Sjaskenen, Soof, Verkienen, Zeperen
Major entry overhaul: Bajes, Beis, Gajes, Poen
Geteisem - irregular plural of Yiddish chattes (Hebr. chatat.)

'bolleboos' contributed by Eddy Dasberg (from Beem, Resten van Een Taal)
'lef' and Hebrew roots for 'kinnesinne' and 'gesjochten' contributed by Robert Bos
'Daar ga je!' contributed by Naftaly Godesh Tal'or
'Geteisem' - Hebrew root found on A.J.A. van Bladel's webpage
'Sjoege' is most often used in the expression 'Geen sjoege geven' (Give no ... sjoege), which translates into "giving no response" or "showing no emotion" (Sandra de Bresser.)
'Chadesjemone' and 'Tole': contributed by A.J. van Zuiden
'Schorem:' Hebrew corrected by Johan Kelderman
'Mazal' and 'Cholent' corrected by Frederik Weindling:
'Mazel tov!' = favorable stars i.e. Good luck!
Cholent is probably from the old French, 'chaud-lent' 'slow hot', or 'slow heat.'
Rober Bos contributed 'lef' and modern Hebrew spelling for the roots of 'gannef,' 'gesjochten' and 'kinnesinne.'
Jochai Rubinstein contributed to 'kassiewijle'
Henk de Leeuw pointed out mistakes in the 'smoes' and 'smoezen' entry.
'Temeie' sung by Tol Hansse

Compilation: Marco Schuffelen - Suggestions, additions, corrections, questions, comments?