להבֿדיל
Yiddish edit
Etymology edit
From Hebrew לְהַבְדִּיל (l'havdíl), infinitive of הִבְדִּיל (hivdíl, “to separate, to distinguish”).
Pronunciation edit
- (General American) IPA(key): /lə.ˈhɑv.dɪl/, /lə.ˈhɑv.dil/, /lə.hɑv.ˈdil/
Interjection edit
להבֿדיל • (lehavdil)
- lehavdil; excuse the comparison
- 1894, שלום־עליכם (sholem-aleykhem, “Sholem Aleichem”), “קטנתּי (kotonti)”, in טבֿיה דער מילכיקער (tevye der milkhiker, “Tevye the Dairyman”):
- קָטֹנְתִּי! – באַדאַרף איך אײַך זאָגן מיטן לשון, וואָס יעקבֿ אָבֿינו האָט געזאָגט, בשעת ער האָט זיך געלאָזט גיין קעגן עשׂון, להבֿדיל...
- kotonti! – badarf ikh aykh zogn mitn loshn, vos yankev ovine hot gezogt, bshas er hot zikh gelozt geyn kegn eysevn, lehavdl...
- “I am unworthy!” I allow myself to say to you with the words our Father Jacob said [to God] while he was on his way to meet Esau, lehavdil...
Usage notes edit
- Used to separate two items that would otherwise be mentioned sequentially, one of which is sacred and the other of which is profane.
Descendants edit
- → English: lehavdil