The Jerusalem Bridge
פֿאַרפֿרומט
farfrumt
gone overly pious; turned super-observant (with a side-eye) · adjective / past participle
Illustration for the Yiddish word farfrumt

The difference between 'frum' (observant) and 'farfrumt' is the difference between a description and a diagnosis.

זי איז געוואָרן פֿאַרפֿרומט נאָך דער חתונה, מע קען זי שוין נישט דערקענען.

She became intensely religious after the wedding—you can't even recognize her anymore.

Think of someone in your circle who took a sharp turn toward observance — what did the rest of the family call it?

Published 19 August 2026

These are written by Yaacov, a native Jerusalemite who teaches Hebrew, Yiddish, Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic one-to-one.

More Yiddish words