שקלאַף

Yiddish

Etymology

Probably from German Sklave, relatinisation of Middle High German slave, from Medieval Latin sclavus. Inherited open-syllable -a- would have yielded Yiddish -o-. Moreover it is a learned word, unlikely to be inherited. The pronunciation with initial /ʃ/ was usual in German until the 20th century.

Noun

שקלאַף • (shklaf) m, plural שקלאַפֿן (shklafn)

1. slave (person owned by another)

Synonyms

• קנעכט (knekht)