Mensch

/mɛntʃ/ noun

Definition

A Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honor, someone who does the right thing even when it's difficult.

Etymology

From Yiddish 'mentsh,' from Middle High German 'Mensch' (human being). When Yiddish-speaking Jews emigrated, the word entered English carrying its specific ethical connotation.

Kelly Says

A 'mensch' is specifically someone who does the right thing not for credit or reward, but because it's right—it's an untranslatable concept that English borrowed because we didn't have a word for it!

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