Shiksa

[3][4][5] The etymology of the word shiksa is partly derived from the Hebrew term שקץ shekets, meaning "abomination", "impure," or "object of loathing", depending on the translator.

[2][8] In North American and other diaspora Jewish communities, the use of "shiksa" reflects more social complexities than merely being a mild insult to non-Jewish women.

Despite appearing in Yiddish literature for many decades, the term shiksa did not enter mainstream vernacular until the works of Philip Roth popularized it.

The Los Angeles Review of Books noted that with more examples of shiksa characters, particularly on television, the concept became less taboo and more of a common stereotype.

[12] In the 1997 Seinfeld episode "The Serenity Now", the term "shiksappeal" is used to describe the character Elaine and why every Jewish man she meets seems to be drawn to her.

[13] In the 2009 The Big Bang Theory episode "The Jiminy Conjecture", the Jewish Howard Wolowitz is explaining the term Shiksa, ("We don't pray to them - we prey on them!")

In today's language however, it is roughly equivalent to the English terms "snot-nosed brat", "little squirt", and "naughty schoolgirl" in a humorous context.

As forms of the word entered British English more popularly, the implications became further detached, meaning variously a servant; a woman of low parentage; or a prostitute.

By the middle of the 20th century, the word had dropped out of usage in Britain; the Los Angeles Review of Books suggests any continued use would be by older people referring to maids.