# goy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡɔɪ/ · frequency rank #67,484

## Definitions
1. A non-Jew, a gentile.
2. Synonym of shabbos goy (“a gentile thought to be subservient to Jewish people”)

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Biblical Hebrew גּוֹי (goi)bor.
Yiddish גוי (goy)bor.
English goy
Borrowed from Yiddish גוי (goy, “gentile”), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew גּוֹי (goi, “nation”).
The term goy does not technically refer to non-Jews, but rather to a nation per se; the Jews are said to constitute a goy. But through common usage – namely referring to "the [other non-Jewish] nations" – the word came to colloquially refer to non-Jews.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/goy