10 ms·
can you explain what exactly you mean by "mensch" or which character traits are being associated with it? as a non-native english speaker i have never seen it
by ekTHEN 3y ago
can you explain what exactly you mean by "mensch" or which character traits are being associated with it?
as a non-native english speaker i have never seen it used and just know it as the german word for "human"
- bdcravens 3y agofrom Oxford: "a person of integrity and honor"
- s0rce 3y agoIt's a Yiddish word מענטש, means honorable or admirable person
- jjtheblunt 3y agoIt's a German word meaning man and in the Yiddish use has the connotation of honorable man?
- bqmjjx0kac 3y agoIt's kind of like saying someone is "the man" in English.
- debatem1 3y agoWorth noting that "the man" may instead mean police/government/etc, usually with negative connotations. So context may make this less appropriate as a synonym than "righteous dude" as mentioned above.
- quesera 3y agoThat's "the Man". :) Capitalization is very important here! Also, e.g. if you are helping your uncle Jack off a horse, etc.
- hellcow 3y agoYes. It's a compliment in Yiddish.
- woodruffw 3y agoI think it's closer to "stand-up" or "decent" than honorable, but yes. (The neutral version would be מאַן, which literally means man or husband.)
- jjtheblunt 3y agowhat's that phonetically?
- fortran77 3y agoUmm... מאָן means poppyseed in Yiddish (and Purim is around the corner, which means המן־טאַשן with מאָן filling!)
- woodruffw 3y agoI wrote מאַן, not מאָן :-). (For those wondering: “man” in Yiddish looks a lot like “mohn”, which is the same as German mohn.)
- jacquesm 3y agoI think it goes well beyond honorable, it also means likeable, friendly and easygoing.
- jjtheblunt 3y agoamerican slang : righteous dude :)
- geephroh 3y agoUsername checks out. Your comment really does tie the thread together.
- js2 3y agoIt does not connote those extra attributes. It means someone with integrity and honor, who always does the right thing. A mensch is someone you can count on. It is a very high compliment to give someone. But I've definitely known some disagreeable mensches. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch Jewish, not of German ancestry, but I've had a lot Yiddish spoken around me.
- samatman 3y agoThe German word for man is der Mann. Der Mensch is a human/person. And yes, in Yiddish it has strong positive connotations, which have carried over into the (American, at least) loanword.
- jjtheblunt 3y agoyeah person is more accurate. I wonder what the etymology of Mensch is, Lohnwort from Latin, long evolved, like Muenze? Umlaut applied to a derivative of Mann with an i involved, also long enough evolved the spelling simplified? I no longer have my German language dictionary(-ies) or Duden books nor access to such where I am, sadly.
- shever73 3y agoThere’s a brief etymology in Etymonline: https://www.etymonline.com/word/mensch https://www.etymonline.com/word/mensch
- nerdponx 3y agoObviously a close cognate, but not really the same word.
- throw4847285 3y agoWatch the movie "The Apartment" (1960) for a crash course in mensches.