A.Word.A.Day--nebbish

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The Magic of Words

Jul 21, 2010

This week's theme
Words that look one part of speech but are other

This week's words
contumely
panegyric
nebbish

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

nebbish

PRONUNCIATION:

(NEB-ish)

MEANING:

noun: A pitifully timid or ineffectual person.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Yiddish nebekh (poor, unfortunate), of Slavic origin. Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhag- (to share) that is also the source of baksheesh, Sanskrit bhagya (good fortune), and words related to -phagy (eating), such as onychophagia and xerophagy.

USAGE:

"Nebbish son-in-law Lando must stand up to his shrewish wife Tiffany."
David Schmeichel; Greed is Good at Celebrations; Winnipeg Sun (Canada); Apr 4, 2007.

Explore "nebbish" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626)

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