Goy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɡɔɪ/
• Rhymes: -ɔɪ

Alternative forms

• Goy
• goi, Goi

Origin

From Yiddish גוי (goy, "gentile"), from Hebrew גּוֹי (goi, "nation").

Compare Exodus 19:6: ממלכת קהנים וגוי קדוש (mamlekhet kohanim v'goy kadosh) "... a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (referring to the Jewish people). The word "goy" technically refers not to non-Jews, but rather to a nation per se; the Jews are said to constitute a "goy". But through common usage - namely referring to "the non-Jewish nations" - the word came to colloquially refer to non-Jews.

Full definition of goy

Noun

1. A non-Jew, a Gentile.
• 1988, Anthony Burgess, :I don’t think that marriage is working, but I’m not going to be stupid about it and say she shouldn’t have married a goy.

Usage notes

This noun is sometimes taken to be offensive; speakers wishing to avoid offense may prefer the term gentile (sometimes capitalized as Gentile) or simply non-Jew.

Derived terms

• antigoyism

Anagrams

• ygo