Jew
[ joo ]
/ dʒu /
noun
one of a scattered group of people that traces its descent from the Biblical Hebrews or from postexilic adherents of Judaism; Israelite.
a person whose religion is Judaism.
a subject of the ancient kingdom of Judah.
adjective
Offensive.
of Jews; Jewish.
verb (used with object)
(lowercase) Offensive.
to bargain sharply with; beat down in price (often followed by down).
Origin of Jew
1125–75; Middle English
jewe, giu, gyu, ju < Old French
juiu, juieu, gyu < Late Latin
judēus, Latin
jūdaeus < Greek
ioudaîos < Aramaic
yehūdāi < Hebrew
Yəhūdhī, derivative of
Yəhūdhāh
Judah; replacing Old English
iūdēas Jews < Late Latin
jūdē(us) + Old English
-as plural ending
usage note for Jew
The adjectival use of
Jew, as in the phrase
Jew boy, is now perceived as insulting; the adjective
Jewish should be used instead. The verb
jew (down) is also perceived as offensive, because it perpetuates the stereotype of the shrewd Jewish moneylender or haggler. Originally, however, both the adjective and the verb were used in a neutral way by Jews and non-Jews.
OTHER WORDS FROM Jew
non-Jew, nounDefinition for jew (2 of 2)
Example sentences from the Web for jew
British Dictionary definitions for jew
Jew
/ (dʒuː) /
noun
a member of the Semitic people who claim descent from the ancient Hebrew people of Israel, are spread throughout the world, and are linked by cultural or religious ties
a person whose religion is Judaism
Word Origin for Jew
C12: from Old French
juiu, from Latin
jūdaeus, from Greek
ioudaios, from Hebrew
yehūdī, from
yehūdāh
Judah