Beyond EnglishJewish lifeMyths & disputes

Kaff

German Kaff 'dump, one-horse town' came out of thieves' cant, mostly from Romani gāv 'village'; an older Rotwelsch kefar, from Hebrew kəp̄ār 'village', probably shaped its sound.

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The story you may have heard

That Kaff is simply Hebrew kfar 'village'. The standard references (Kluge, Pfeifer) trace it mainly to Romani gāv, with the Hebrew-derived Rotwelsch kefar only helping to shape it. Kaffer 'dolt' is also sometimes linked to kfar, a link Pfeifer calls doubtful.

The road to German

400 BCEBiblical Hebrew

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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