As borrowed from Yiddish, a mensch or mentsh [a] is "a person of integrity and honor".[2] American humorist Leo Rosten describes a mentsh as "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character. The key to being 'a real mensch' is nothing less than character, rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible, decorous".[3] The term is used as a high compliment, implying the rarity and value of that individual's qualities.
- ^ Michael Wex, How to Be a Mentsh (And Not a Shmuck), 2009, p. 20
- ^ "mensch". Merriam-Webster.
- ^ Rosten, Leo (1974). The Joys of Yiddish. Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 240. ISBN 978-0140030686.
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