alte bubby
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Pronunciations

Alte bubby (AL-teh Bə-bee) listen
alte bubby (AHL-tuh BUH-bee) listen

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Definitions

  • n. An old woman; great-grandmother.

Example Sentences

  • "But I grew up at my Alte Bubby's feet with the stories of Antonifka and Rovna, with tea with sugar and lemon." (source)

  • "He was standing behind an alte bubbe who was counting out her pennies to pay for her milk and bread." (source)

  • "What should the kinderlach call their elter zeida and bubbe's? Simply Zeidy and Bubby?"
    (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • עלטער־באָבע elter-bobe ('great-grandmother')

    אַלטע באָבע alte bobe ('old grandmother')

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain

      Dictionaries

      • None

      Alternative Spellings

      elteh bubbie, elte bubbe, elter bubby, elte bubby, alte bubbie, alte bubbe, alte bobe, elter-bobe

Notes

  • It seems possible that the Yiddish adjective "alt" (old), which is used in other Jewish English phrases, may be confused with the prefix "elter-" (great-, as in, great-grandmother.)

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