{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{short description|Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor}} {{Other uses}} '''Mensch''' or '''mentsh''' ({{Langx|yi|מענטש}}) is a Yiddish word which literally translates to "person",<ref>"[https://englishyiddishdictionary.com/ceyd?eq=%D7%9E%D7%A2%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%A9&ql=yb&id=PTdc person]". ''The Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary''.</ref> and figuratively means "a person of integrity and honour".<ref>"[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mensch mensch]". ''Merriam-Webster''</ref> Jewish American humourist Leo Rosten describes a {{Lang|de|mentsh}} as "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rosten |first1=Leo |author1-link=Leo Rosten |title=The Joys of Yiddish |date=1974 |publisher=Penguin |location=Harmondsworth |isbn=978-0140030686 |page=240}}</ref> The term is used as a high compliment, implying the rarity and value of that individual's qualities.
==Overview== The Yiddish ''mensch'' developed alongside the Middle High German {{lang|de|mensch}}, both derived from the Old High German ''mennisco''. The spelling "''mentsh''" is used less frequently than "''mensch''", but the former is the transliteration recommended by the YIVO.<ref>Michael Wex, ''How to Be a Mentsh (And Not a Shmuck)'', 2009, p. 20</ref>
''Mensch'' has migrated as a loanword into Yinglish and American English with the German spelling to refer not to a person, but a particularly good person, similar to a "stand-up guy": a person with the qualities one would hope for in a friend or trusted colleague. ''Mentshlekhkeyt'' ({{langx|yi|מענטשלעכקייט|link=no}}) likewise literally means "humanity" but can also refer to the properties which make a person a ''mensch''.
The word {{lang|de|mensch}} and the underlying concept have had an impact on popular culture. ''The Mensch on a Bench'' is a 2012 Hanukkah-themed book and doll set parodying ''The Elf on the Shelf''. A life-size version of the doll was adopted as the mascot of Team Israel at the World Baseball Classic in 2016. According to pitcher Gabe Cramer, "The Mensch is a great way to have fun in the dugout while reminding us of why we're here and who we're representing".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gloster|first=Rob|date=7 March 2017|url=https://jweekly.com/2017/03/07/team-israel-scores-another-surprise-baseball-win-with-a-marin-pitcher/|title=Team Israel scores another surprise baseball win – with a Marin pitcher|magazine=J. The Jewish News of Northern California|access-date=12 June 2022}}</ref>
==See also== {{Wiktionary|mensch|Mensch}} *{{Lang|de|Gutmensch}} *{{lang|grc|Kalos kagathos}} *Moral idealist *{{Lang|de|Übermensch}} *{{Lang|de|Untermensch}} *The Mensch on a Bench *Jewish etiquette
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Yiddish words and phrases Category:German words and phrases