mazel tov

Literally 'a good constellation': a Hebrew word for a star's station, probably borrowed from Babylonian astronomy, became the congratulations of Yiddish and then English. Its 'luck' sense spread into Ladino and into German, Dutch and Hungarian slang.

Weakest linkProbable

The road to English

From Mishnaic Hebrew to Ladino

From Mishnaic Hebrew to Modern Hebrew

From Yiddish to Dutch

From Yiddish to German

From Yiddish to Hungarian

700 BCEAkkadian

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

Jewish life