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Yenta
YEN-tah • Noun
יענטע
Snappy Essence
A busybody; a gossip-monger way too interested in everyone else's business.
Nuance
A yenta actively researches, catalogs, and distributes the social status of everyone in their orbit under the guise of 'just checking in'.
Pro-Pronunciation Tip
Rhymes with 'penta'. Say it with a slight, knowing raise of the eyebrows.
Linguistic Note (YIVO)
Standard YIVO transliteration: yente
Etymology: A common Yiddish women's name (from Italian gentile). Turned into a common noun through Jacob Adler's satirical Forverts column ca. 1913.
Examples in the wild
Classic
"Don't tell that yenta about the wedding, or the whole neighborhood will know before nightfall."
Modern Yinglish
"She spends half her workday Slack-slithering to see who is getting promoted. A total corporate yenta."
Mishegas Meter7/10