gevald

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Pronunciations

gevald (guh-VAWLT) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. An interjection of fear or surprise.

  • interj. A cry for help.

  • n. A cry for help.

  • n. Violence, force.

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Example Sentences

  • "Gevald! Why did you put that slimy thing in my sleeping bag?!"

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  • "Gevalt! Help! Burglars!" (NJY)

  • “Gevalt, Lord, enough already!” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • גװאַלד gvald 'violence, force; help!'

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      gevalt, oy gevald, oy gevalt, gevolt, gevult

Notes

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