Where does “schlimazel” come from?
schlimazel (English) comes from Yiddish שלימזל, from Middle High German slīm, from Old High German slimb, from Proto-West Germanic *slimb, from Proto-Germanic slimbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)lemb- — to droop; sag; hang loosely.
schlimazel (English): A chronically unlucky person
Definitions
- A chronically unlucky person
Ancestry of “schlimazel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Yiddish | שלימזל | bad luck, misfortune; unlucky person, luckless... |
| 2 | Middle High German | slīm | — |
| 3 | Old High German | slimb | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *slimb | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | slimbaz | aslant; sloping; askew; crooked; wrong |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)lemb- | to droop; sag; hang loosely |