Jewish Word Glossary
Glossary Key
|
abbr. = abbreviated esp .= especially Heb. = Hebrew lit. = literally n = noun |
pl. = plural pron. = pronounced usu. = usually v = verb Yid. = Yiddish |
A |
B | C
| D |
E | F
| G |
H | I
| J | K |
L
M |
N | O
| P |
R | S
| T |
U | V
| W | X | Y
| Z
K
- Kabalah
- lit.=acceptance: Jewish mysticism
- kabalat panim
- lit.=the acceptance of faces: bride's pre-ceremony wedding reception
- Kaddish
- mourner's prayer
- kama
- how many/much?
- kama zeh oleh
- lit.=how much does this rise?: "How much does this cost?"
- kallah
- study session
- kapo
- head of a Judenrat, the Jewish council running a ghetto
- kaporah
- lit.=atonement: (Yid.) suffering that one hopes may atone for sins
- karger
- (Yid.) miser
- karpas
- vegetables (usu. parsley, celery, potato) dipped in salt water and eaten at Seder
- kasha
- couscous-like dish made of buckwheat
- kashe
- question, esp. on ritual observance
- kasher
- to make kosher, esp. meat or dishes
- kashrut
- the laws of kosher-ness
- kapoteh
- long, black coat worn by chasidim
- kavanah
- lit.=intention: sincerity, earnestness, esp. while praying or doing mitzvot
- katzisher kop
- (Yid.) forgetful one
- kedoshim
- lit.=holy ones: martyrs
- kedushin
- the marriage ceremony
- kehillah
- congregation; community
- kemfer
- (Yid.) fighter; activist
- ken ayina hora
- lit.=without the evil eye: "Not to jinx it" (said after complimenting)
- kesher
- lit.=knot: emotional bond between people, esp. a couple
- keter Torah
- ornamental crown placed on Sefer Torah
- ketubah
- lit.=writ: marriage contract
- kezatzkeh
- Russian dance involving kicks from a squatting position
- khap
- grab, snatch; understand [v]; insight [n]
- kibbitz
- (Yid.) chitchat
- kibbutz (pl. kibbutzim)
- Israeli collective farm
- kichel
- air-filled cookies
- kiddish
- celebratory meal after synagogue services
- Kiddush
- prayer/blessing for wine
- kiddush HaShem
- lit.=sanctification of the Name: selfless act, esp. martyrdom
- Kiddush Lavona
- prayer for the new moon
- kinder(lach)
- (small) children
- Kinneret
- lit.=small harp: lyre-shaped lake in northern Israel
- kipah (pl. kipot)
- (Heb.) skullcap
- kiruv
- lit.=closeness: outreach
- kishef-macher
- lit=magic maker: (Yid.) wizard, sorcerer; surprisingly effective one
- kishka
- seasoned mashed potatoes in a casing
- kishkas
- (Yid.) innards; "guts" ("She's got..."; "I feel it in my...")
- Kislev
- 3rd Jewish month (Nov-Dec), 25th is Chanukah
- kitel
- white robe, esp. for Pesach and Yom Kippur
- kitsel
- (Yid.) tickle
- Klal Yisrael
- (Heb.) The Jewish People
- klezmer
- Yiddish music: part Jewish, part big-band
- klog is mir
- (Yid.) "Woe is me!"
- klutz
- lit=wooden block, beam: (Yid.) clumsy one
- klutz kasheh
- an unanswerable question, or one that reveals deep ignorance; the kind of question a klutz would ask
- Knesset
- Israel's Parliament
- k'neidlach
- (Yid.) matzah balls
- k'nish
- puff pastry filled with meat or potatoes
- ko'ach
- strength; endurance, energy
- koch-alein
- lit.=cook alone: summer cottage with a kitchen
- koch-leffel
- lit.=cooking ladel: one who "stirs the pot" with rumors or gossip
- kodesh
- (Heb.) holy
- kohen (pl. kohanim)
- descendant of Moses, Aaron; thus, a member of the priest class
- kol b'seder
- lit.=all (is) in order: "Everything's fine!", "It's all good." (said to be source of "copacetic")
- Kol Nidre
- "All Vows," key prayer, by chazan on Erev Yom Kippur
- kollel
- all-day yeshiva, esp. for the married
- kol tuv
- lit.=all (is) good: "Everything's fine."; "I'm all right."
- kop'drayenish
- lit.=head-spinning: confusing, crazy-making
- korban
- (Heb.) holy sacrifice; (Yid.) scapegoat
- kos
- (Heb.) wine goblet
- kosher
- permissible to eat under Jewish law
- Kotel (HaMa'aravi)
- The (Western) Wall
- kovod
- (Heb.) honor [n]
- krechts
- lit.=creak: groan
- krenk
- (Yid.) sick
- kreplach
- won tons
- Kristallnacht
- "Night of Broken Glass," Nazi pogrom on Nov.9-10, 1938; the worst pogrom ever, it marked the Holocaust's start
- kriyah
- lit.=ripping: the tearing of one’s clothes to signify mourning
- kriyat haTorah
- the reading of the Torah
- krovim
- lit.=close ones: relatives
- kugel
- casserole, usu. of potatoes or noodles; tease [v, slang]
- kumsitz
- lit.=come, sit: sing-along and storytelling session
- Kuni Lemel
- fool [n] (after a fictional character)
- kvell
- derive deep pride or intense satisfaction
- kvetch
- (Yid.) whine(r), complain(er)
- kvitsch
- (Yid.) short shriek of surprise
(PDF Document)
