כניאָק

Yiddish

Etymology

Possibly from Russian хныка (xnyka, “whiner”).

Noun

כניאָק • (khnyok) m, plural כניאָקעס (khnyokes)

1. a holier-than-thou religious person; a prig.

Descendants

• English: khnyok
• Hebrew: חניוק (khnyok)

References

• "The Meaning of Khnyok", Forward, 31 Jul 2008.