Page:Complete English-Jewish Dictionary, 6th ed. - Harkavy - 1910.djvu/1154



The present work is the first attempt at a Yiddish dictionary, and therefore an entirely original production. In the compilation of this book the author has had no predecessors to follow, and thus the work undertaken by him has been very difficult; it has consisted in gathering the stray words of the language, in arranging them alphabetically, and in poring over their definitions. This dictionary is the product of six years' indefatigable labor.

It has been the desire of the author to make a thorough display of the characteristics of the Yiddish tongue, wherefore he has embraced also its vulgar expressions, cant words, and idioms, and has given philological explanations of peculiar terms, as well as notes on items bearing on Jewish antiquities, beliefs, customs, ceremonies, games, holidays, etc., all of which will prove highly valuable to the student of language and ethnology.

This dictionary has been calculated to serve a double end: to acquaint English-speaking people with Yiddish and to instruct Yiddish-speaking people in English; with a view to the latter, in numerous instances several synonyms have been employed to define a single meaning where one word would do; for the same practical end, in this dictionary have been introduced some of the technical and scientific terms now common to all Indo-European languages, as well as a considerable number of modern German words which have only of late become current in Yiddish writings.

Notwithstanding the utmost care taken by the author to make this work complete, important omissions may have been made; he therefore promises to issue a supplement to this dictionary as soon as a considerable number of items omitted will have been discovered by him.

For the purpose of teaching English-speaking people to read Yiddish and to acquaint them with its orthography and dialectal variations, a treatise on these subjects is prefixed to this dictionary.

New York, May 15. 1898