Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Offensive Used as a disparaging term for one who is not a Jew.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In Jewish use, a nation. Used in the singular for any nation, Jewish as well as Gentile. Where the plural goyim is used, however (save in particular cases, for example Gen. xxv. 23), it specially refers to non-Jewish nations, the Gentiles. In Yiddish this distinction is not fully recognized, and goy is used, somewhat like ‘heathen’ in English use, to imply inferiority, and is often employed among the Jews themselves as a term of contempt implying ignorance or stupidity.
Wiktionary
WordNet 3.0
- n. a Christian as contrasted with a Jew
Etymologies
- Yiddish, from Hebrew gôy, Jew ignorant of the Jewish religion, non-Jew; see gwy in Semitic roots.
Examples
“You, yourself limited the non-offensive use of the term goy to everyday Hebrew usage in that country.”
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
“Greg D you make mistakes by the bucketload here. the word goy is merely a word that describes a person who is not Jewish - I would have preferred the description non Jewish in Trumpeldors post but you are assuming negatives, as it seems is a regular thing for you.”
On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with...
“Consider the word "goy" -- a gentile, or a non-Jew.”
The Huffington Post: Amy Klein: The Real Myth -- and Gift -- of Jewish Chosenness
“But this didn't stop her from being snobbish to me, and continuing to use the word "goy" - a pejorative term meaning "gentiles" - around me, which she knew offended me, since it disrespected a lot of people I loved.”
“Or maybe Matthew hopes to work for Haim Saban someday and doesn’t want to embarrass Haim by pointing out that Haim’s shabbos goy is looking somewhat. .er .. “shopworn”.”
“The Yiddish word goy is loaded with negative associations, and the word shiksa, which everyone still uses, comes from Hebrew for “blemish,” according to Leo Rosten.”
“The Yiddish word goy is loaded with negative associations, and the word shiksa, which everyone still uses, comes from Hebrew for "blemish," according to Leo Rosten.”
“The destruction of a goy is the sole positive achievement which Roth bestows on his creation.”
“I didn't realise that a purchase by a goy was a crime to be punished with monosyllabic terseness, or that bus seats were a potential source of contamination, or that road signs, and parking restrictions, were for people who hadn't been chosen by God.”
“I didn't realize that a purchase by a goy was a crime to be punished with monosyllabic terseness, or that bus seats were a potential source of contamination, or that road signs, and parking restrictions, were for people who hadn't been chosen by God.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘goy’.
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Alle Menschen werden Brüder
It's only a question of time, when.
Derogatory terms for anybody different.zog lover, zipperhead, zip, yid, yellow, yankee, yank, wog, whitey, wigga, wop, whigger and 315 more...
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Yiddishkeit
There are a few short lists of Yiddish words, but none appropriate to the glory of the language, and none that are open. Thought I'd start one, and would love contributions. I'm tagging as I go, an...
schmuck, nosh, chutzpah, shtick, kvetch, oy vey, oy gevalt, shvitz, shtik, shiksa, putz, mensch and 94 more...
brtom " I told you not go with drunken goy ever."
Joyce, Ulysses, 15 Jan 28, 2007