Definition of GOY

goy

Meanings

Plural: goyem, goyim, goyin, goys

Noun

  • a Christian as contrasted with a Jew
  • A non-Jew, a gentile, subhuman.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish גוי (goy, “gentile”), from Hebrew גּוֹי (goi, “nation”).
Compare Exodus he:T:6: מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגֹוי קָדֹושׁ (mamleḵeṯ kohănīm wəḡōy qāḏōš, “ […] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”) (referring to the Jewish people). The word goy does not technically refer 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 [other non-Jewish] nations" – the word came to colloquially refer to non-Jews.

Synonyms

akum, gentile, non-Jew, shegetz, shkotz

Scrabble Score: 7

goy is not valid in Scrabble (US) TWL Dictionary
goy is not valid in Scrabble (MW) Merriam-Webster Dictionary
goy is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

goy is a valid Words With Friends word