Yiddish

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Etymology

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An expansion of earlier *לייען (*leyen) (still attested in Alsace as /ˈlaːjə/ and /(ɡə)laːɪ̯t/) + ־ען (-en), from Romance, perhaps from Old French leyer, lire, ultimately from Latin legō (read).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈɫɛɪ̯ənən/, /ˈɫaɪ̯ənən/

Verb

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לייענען (leyenen) (past participle געלייענט (geleyent))

  1. to read
    Synonym: (Daytshmerish) לעזן (lezn)

Usage notes

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  • The realization leynen in the infinitive and geleynt in the past participle is very rare in Western Yiddish areas, while it is common all across Poylish and Ukraynish areas.

Conjugation

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Dutch: lajenen
  • English: leyn
  • Hungarian: lejnol

References

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  • The Language and Culture Atlas of Ashkenazic Jewry: The Eastern Yiddish - Western Yiddish Continuum, Volume III, Niemeyer, 2010, p. 132-133