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Definition of knish

knish

/knɪʃ/
knish
Plural:knishes
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knish Lexical Profile

knish Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A traditional Eastern European and Ashkenazi Jewish snack consisting of a savory filling—most commonly mashed potatoes, buckwheat groats (kasha),ground meat, or cheese—enclosed in dough and baked or fried.

Example

"We stopped at a historic delicatessen on the Lower East Side for a hot potato knish and a cup of soup."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for knish

Word Nuance & Usage

Unlike silent-k English words such as 'knife' or 'knight', the initial 'k' in 'knish' is fully pronounced, typically with a short schwa vowel inserted between the 'k' and the 'n' (/kəˈnɪʃ/).

• Rhymes for knish

• Nearby Words

knik
knik river
kniphofia
knish
knit
knitter
knitting

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the early 20th century from Yiddish knish, which derives from Ukrainian knyš or Polish knysz, referring to a small round loaf of bread or filled pastry.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Knish. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 4, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/knish
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