yenta

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The yenta is a mashup of the best qualities of not missing a trick and caring.

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Definitions (3)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun Slang A person, especially a woman, who is meddlesome or gossipy.

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Examples (36)

  • He would have been out of a job, but Oh the ... greenmtnpunter: Boxer, the yenta, as one well known talk show host accurately tabs her, is a dumb, power hungry ... —  New England Republican
  • Then, you realize that everybody else around the water cooler is a gossipy left-wing yenta whose mouth moves faster than her brain. —  Right Wing News
  • The first to stop by and welcome Henry to his new home is local yenta Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), who comes knocking on his door with a fresh plate of homemade tamales and laundry list of questions. —  Latest News - MovieWeb.com
  • But like any good yenta, I can take whatever someone else says, and use it as a jumping off point for the topic of my choice (a lot more on that in a moment). —  The Jew and the Carrot
  • In it, he bashes Obama as having "done nothing" and Silverman as a "yenta" while urging Americans to vote for McCain. —  Megite Technology News: What's Happening Right Now
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This word has been looked up 76 times.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Yiddish yente, back-formation from the woman's name Yente, alteration of Yentl, from Old Italian Gentile, from gentile, amiable, highborn, from Latin gentīlis, of the same clan; see gentle.
 

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