Dictionary of Terms

Source: Halachipedia: Dictionary of Terms

Exported: 2025-12-30

This dictionary is for commonly used words in a shiur that is mostly in English but includes a handful of Yeshivish, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic.

Commonly used Yeshivish/Yiddish Words

; avada : of course

; ayid : a Jew

; azoy : really, so-so (sometimes a question)

; bissel : a little

; eppes : a little

; farfaln : hopeless, irretrievable

; farlozich : rely upon, rely on

; ginoy : sure (derived from genau, German meaning exactly)

; gishmak : delicious

; grada : certainly, as a matter of fact

; grossa : large

; punkt : precisely, exactly, so happens to be

; punkt farr kert : just the opposite

; shprach : enhancement

; shtoch : affront (usually used to describe when one opinion proved the other wrong)

; shtup : stuff in (usually used to describe when an explanation that doesn't fit the words)

; shver : difficult

; taka : really, (usually used as a confirmation of fact, but sometimes used in question form)

; teitch : translate

; vayter : continue, let's move on

;verlassen sich : leave one, rely on ;zach : something (usually used to describe something popular)

;zayn : to be

;zicher : for sure

;al kol ponim : either way, from all perspectives

;chashivus : importance

;kol tov : all the best

;lehavdil, lehavdil elef alfey havdalot : to distinguish (usually used to say that this concept is very different)

;lehavdil bein hachayim vehachayim : to distinguish between the living and those who have passed

;lemaysa : in reality, practically speaking

; lichoira : theoretically

;mamesh : actually, actual, in actuality

; maskim : agreed

;pashut : obvious

;peshat : simple explanation

;aderaba : the opposite is true

;chaval al deovdin : we are saddened by the loss of a person/work

;chaval al deovdin v'einan mishtakchin : we are saddened by the loss of a person/work who are never forgotten

;kal vechomer :fortiori, if the greater nuance is true certainly the lesser one is as well

; kol sheken : fortiori, if the greater nuance is true certainly the lesser one is as well

;mee heychi teytee : from where do you know that? (usually used as a negation of a conjecture)

; pshita : obvious (usually used as a question)