Nebbish

Alternative forms

• nebish less common

Origin

From Yiddish נעביש, from נעבעך (nebekh, "poor, unfortunate"), from Czech nebohý.

Full definition of nebbish

Noun

1. One who is fearful and timid, especially in making decisions and plans, in discussions, debates, arguments, and confrontations, and in taking responsibility.Actor Rick Moranis often plays a nebbish.
• 2001, Foster Hirsh, Love, Sex, Death, and the Meaning of Life: The Films of Woody Allen http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0306810174&id=xS9f-DI5ag4C&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=nebbish+Woody+Allen&sig=8K1Y0VWMFTi5g8MbwGm_bxRi-ns“I don't consider myself a nebbish,” Woody told interviewers early in his career, “but everyone else does.”

Derived terms

• nebbishy