שייגעץ / שקציםsheygets meaning in Yiddish
an irreligious or brazenly transgressive young man; an unruly, unrefined fellow (literally: a non-Jewish youth) · noun (masculine)
Also spelled in English: shaygetz, shegetz
What do traditional elders call a Jewish boy who casts off religious discipline, skips prayers, and acts completely like an outsider?
ער דרייט זיך אַ גאַנצן טאָג אין גאַס אָן אַ קאפל און לערנט גאָרנישט — ער פֿירט זיך אויף ווי אַן עכטער שייגעץ!
“He hangs around the streets all day without a kippah and doesn’t study at all he’s acting like a complete sheygets!”
The masculine counterpart to shikse (שיקסע). Both come from the biblical Hebrew root shekets (שקץ, forbidden/blemished), used in Yiddish for someone breaking religious norms or acting entirely like an outsider.
Yiddish words for people and charactersYiddish words from Jewish life and tradition
Published 22 August 2026