English Explanatory Dictionary

goy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A non-Jew, a gentile.
  2. Synonym of shabbos goy (“a gentile thought to be subservient to Jewish people”)
name
  1. A surname.
noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of goy.

Pronunciation

/ɡɔɪ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-goy.wav En-us-goy.ogg

Word forms

goy goyim goys goyem goyin goi

Etymology

Etymology tree Biblical Hebrew גּוֹי (goi)bor. Yiddish גוי (goy)bor. English goy Borrowed from Yiddish גוי (goy, “gentile”), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew גּוֹי (goi, “nation”). The term goy does not technically refer to non-Jews, but rather to a nation per se; the Jews are said to constitute a goy. But through common usage – namely referring to "the [other non-Jewish] nations" – the word came to colloquially refer to non-Jews.

Synonyms

gentile non-Jew akum shegetz shkotz shabbos goy

Derived words

anti-goy anti-goyish antigoyism goybait goycattle goyish goyishkeit goyslop goysplain groyper shabbos goy
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