Kike
Ethnic slur directed at Jewish people
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⚡ Key Takeaways
- Kike ( ), also known as the K-word , is an ethnic slur directed at Jews.
- Etymology According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the word may be an alteration of the endings - ki or - ky common in the personal names of Jews in eastern Europe who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century.
- Jews from Germany to identify eastern European and Russian Jews: "Because many Russian [Jewish] names ended in 'ki', they were called 'kikes'—a German Jewish contribution to the American vernacular.
- " The Encyclopedia of Swearing suggests that Leo Rosten's suggestion is the most likely.
Kike (), also known as the K-word, is an ethnic slur directed at Jews. The etymological origin comes from the Yiddish word for circle, קײַקל (kaykl), itself a derivation of the Ancient Greek word κύκλος.
Etymology
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word may be an alteration of the endings -ki or -ky common in the personal names of Jews in eastern Europe who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. A variation or expansion of this theory published in Our Crowd (1967), by Stephen Birmingham, postulates that the term "kike" was coined as a put-down by the assimilated U.S. Jews from Germany to identify eastern European and Russian Jews: "Because many Russian [Jewish] names ended in 'ki', they were called 'kikes'—a German Jewish contribution to the American vernacular. The name then proceeded to be co-opted by non-Jews as it gained prominence in its usage in society, and was later used as a general derogatory slur."
The Encyclopedia of Swearing suggests that Leo Rosten's suggestion is the most likely. He stated that:
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