שטוםshtum meaning in Yiddish

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silent, quiet, speechless · adjective

Also spelled in English: schtum, shtoom

Sometimes the smartest thing a person can do is keep shtum. Yiddish respects the power of not answering.

ער איז געבליבן שטום — ער האָט נישט געווּסט וואָס צו זאָגן.

“He remained shtum — he did not know what to say.”

When did someone in your family badly fail to stay shtum?

Published 28 September 2026

Yaacov, native Jerusalemite

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