ganef

1 of 2

noun

ga·​nef ˈgä-nəf 

variants or gonif or less commonly goniff

slang

: thief, rascal

gonif, goniff

2 of 2

gon·​if

variant spellings of ganef

slang

: thief, rascal

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed, directly or via a Central European underworld argot such as Rotwelsch, from Yiddish ganef "thief," going back to Hebrew gannābh

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1839, in the meaning defined above