"mensch" meaning in English

See mensch in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /mɛnt͡ʃ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-mensch.wav Forms: mensches [plural], menschen [plural]
Rhymes: -ɛnʃ, -ɛntʃ Etymology: From Yiddish מענטש (mentsh, “an honorable person”), from Middle High German mensch, mensche, mennische, from Old High German mennisko (“man, human being”), from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). The spelling mensch was influenced by German Mensch; compare the alternative spellings. Doublet of mennish and mensk; compare also mense. For the semantics, compare Latin humanē (“kindly, courteously”), English humane. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|yi|מענטש|t=an honorable person}} Yiddish מענטש (mentsh, “an honorable person”), {{der|en|gmh|mensch}} Middle High German mensch, {{der|en|goh|mennisko|t=man, human being}} Old High German mennisko (“man, human being”), {{der|en|gem-pro|*manniskaz|t=human}} Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”), {{cog|de|Mensch}} German Mensch, {{doublet|en|mennish|mensk}} Doublet of mennish and mensk, {{cog|la|humanē|t=kindly, courteously}} Latin humanē (“kindly, courteously”), {{cog|en|humane}} English humane Head templates: {{en-noun|+|menschen}} mensch (plural mensches or menschen)
  1. A person (chiefly male) of strength, integrity, and honor or compassion. Translations (person of strength, integrity and compassion): মরদ (morod) (Bengali), hyvä mies (Finnish), kunnon mies (Finnish), homme de bien [masculine] (French), Ehrenmann [masculine] (German), ben adam (Ladino), sadik (Ladino), morus [masculine] (Polish), równiacha [masculine] (Polish), równiak [masculine] (Polish), równy gość [masculine] (Polish), swój chłop [masculine] (Polish), מענטש (mentsh) (Yiddish), צדיק (tsadek) (Yiddish)
    Sense id: en-mensch-en-noun-7n-FEx06 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 3 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Bengali translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Ladino translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Yiddish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 61 39 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 92 8 Disambiguation of Pages with 3 entries: 92 8 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 92 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Bengali translations: 85 15 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 93 7 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 95 5 Disambiguation of Terms with Ladino translations: 93 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Yiddish translations: 90 10 Disambiguation of 'person of strength, integrity and compassion': 96 4
  2. A gentleman. Categories (topical): People
    Sense id: en-mensch-en-noun-Zcb8ENVw Disambiguation of People: 1 99
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: mensh, mentsch, mentsh, mentch, mench Derived forms: menschy

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "menschy"
    }
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  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
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      "name": "bor"
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      "name": "der"
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    {
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
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      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
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        "2": "Mensch"
      },
      "expansion": "German Mensch",
      "name": "cog"
    },
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        "3": "mensk"
      },
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    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "humanē",
        "t": "kindly, courteously"
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      "name": "cog"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "humane"
      },
      "expansion": "English humane",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Yiddish מענטש (mentsh, “an honorable person”), from Middle High German mensch, mensche, mennische, from Old High German mennisko (“man, human being”), from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). The spelling mensch was influenced by German Mensch; compare the alternative spellings. Doublet of mennish and mensk; compare also mense. For the semantics, compare Latin humanē (“kindly, courteously”), English humane.",
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  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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          "_dis": "93 7",
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          "_dis": "83 17",
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          "_dis": "90 10",
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          "ref": "1956, Allen Ginsberg, “America”, in Howl and Other Poems (Pocket Poets Series), City Lights Books, →OCLC, page 33:",
          "text": "[…]Scott Nearing was a grand old man a real mensch[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1960, Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond, The Apartment:",
          "text": "Doctor Dreyfuss [to C. C. Baxter]: Be a mensch!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty […], 1st US edition, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 428:",
          "text": "Lionel Kessler, relaxing perhaps on a Louis Quinze day bed, garlanded all round with lines of beauty, seeing welcome proof that his clever maligned young friend was a mensch.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006 February 20, Paul Krugman, “The Mensch Gap”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Where have all the mensches gone? The character of the administration reflects the character of the man at its head.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 December 28, George Solomon, “My Little Red Book”, in The Washington Post, page D01:",
          "text": "Olie Kolzig: Goalie for the Washington Capitals who spent most of 16 seasons between the pipes for the team until being released in 2008. Had the longest career of any Capital. Now plays for Tampa Bay. The ultimate mensch, in my book.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Dwight S. Huggins, Into the Greenhouse Vol. VI: Dreams, →ISBN:",
          "text": "She was an Amerindian, and stout. She was a real mensch, […] a hard working person, who took pride in her job, which was to spray from an aerosol can a particular base.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "bn",
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
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          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "word": "kunnon mies"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "homme de bien"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Ehrenmann"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "lad",
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          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "word": "ben adam"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "lad",
          "lang": "Ladino",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "word": "sadik"
        },
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          "code": "pl",
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          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "morus"
        },
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "równiacha"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "równiak"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "równy gość"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "swój chłop"
        },
        {
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          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "roman": "mentsh",
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          "word": "מענטש"
        },
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "yi",
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          "roman": "tsadek",
          "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
          "word": "צדיק"
        }
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  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/mɛnt͡ʃ/"
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "mensh"
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      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "mentsch"
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    "mensch"
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  "word": "mensch"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Yiddish",
    "English terms derived from Middle High German",
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    "English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
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    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
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    "Terms with Yiddish translations",
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        "t": "an honorable person"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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          "ref": "1956, Allen Ginsberg, “America”, in Howl and Other Poems (Pocket Poets Series), City Lights Books, →OCLC, page 33:",
          "text": "[…]Scott Nearing was a grand old man a real mensch[…]",
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          "ref": "1960, Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond, The Apartment:",
          "text": "Doctor Dreyfuss [to C. C. Baxter]: Be a mensch!",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty […], 1st US edition, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 428:",
          "text": "Lionel Kessler, relaxing perhaps on a Louis Quinze day bed, garlanded all round with lines of beauty, seeing welcome proof that his clever maligned young friend was a mensch.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006 February 20, Paul Krugman, “The Mensch Gap”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Where have all the mensches gone? The character of the administration reflects the character of the man at its head.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 December 28, George Solomon, “My Little Red Book”, in The Washington Post, page D01:",
          "text": "Olie Kolzig: Goalie for the Washington Capitals who spent most of 16 seasons between the pipes for the team until being released in 2008. Had the longest career of any Capital. Now plays for Tampa Bay. The ultimate mensch, in my book.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Dwight S. Huggins, Into the Greenhouse Vol. VI: Dreams, →ISBN:",
          "text": "She was an Amerindian, and stout. She was a real mensch, […] a hard working person, who took pride in her job, which was to spray from an aerosol can a particular base.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
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      ],
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          "strength"
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        [
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          "integrity"
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          "honor"
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        [
          "compassion",
          "compassion"
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    },
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      ],
      "links": [
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      "ipa": "/mɛnt͡ʃ/"
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    {
      "word": "mensh"
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    {
      "word": "mentsch"
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    {
      "word": "mentsh"
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    {
      "word": "mentch"
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    {
      "word": "mench"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "morod",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "মরদ"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "hyvä mies"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "kunnon mies"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "homme de bien"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Ehrenmann"
    },
    {
      "code": "lad",
      "lang": "Ladino",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "ben adam"
    },
    {
      "code": "lad",
      "lang": "Ladino",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "sadik"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "morus"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "równiacha"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "równiak"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "równy gość"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "swój chłop"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "roman": "mentsh",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "מענטש"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "roman": "tsadek",
      "sense": "person of strength, integrity and compassion",
      "word": "צדיק"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "mensch"
  ],
  "word": "mensch"
}

Download raw JSONL data for mensch meaning in English (6.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.