נעבעך

Yiddish

FWOTD – 10 April 2017

Etymology

From Slavic (compare Czech nebohý), from Proto-Slavic *nebogъ.

Pronunciation

• (YIVO) IPA^(key): /ˈnɛbəχ/

Adverb

נעבעך • (nebekh)

1. sadly, unfortunately (indicates something to the detriment of the subject of the sentence)

   ער האָט נעבעך נישט קיין שיך.

   er hot nebekh nisht keyn shikh.

   He doesn't have any shoes, poor thing.

   • 1936, Mordechai Gebirtig, ס׳ברענט ("It is burning"):

     ס׳ברענט, ברידערלעך, ס׳ברענט! / אוי אונדזער אָרעם שטעטל נעבעך ברענט!

     s'brent, briderlekh, s'brent! / oy undzer orem shtetl nebekh brent!

     It's burning, brothers, it's burning! Oh, what a pity, our poor shtetl is burning!

Noun

נעבעך • (nebekh) m

1. unfortunate person; unhappy person; poor person

Related terms

• נעביש (nebish)
• נעבעכדיקײט (nebekhdikeyt)

Descendants

• Dutch: nebbech
• German: nebbich; Nebbich m
• Hebrew: נֶבֶּךְ (nébekh)