Bupkis
/ˈbʊp.kɪs/noun
Nothing at all; something worthless or insignificant.
Did you know?Bupkis entered American English through Yiddish, where its ancestor was associated with little beans and may also have been influenced by Slavic words for animal droppings.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhabh-
“A reconstructed root associated with beans or bean-like objects; the connection is probable but not completely certain.”
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic
*bobъ
“Bean; the source of related Slavic bean words.”
18th–19th Century
Yiddish
bobkes / bubkes
“Little beans; a diminutive expression that could also suggest something trivial or worthless.”
Late 19th Century
American English
bubkes
“Nothing, especially in the expression “not get bubkes.””
20th Century
American English
bupkis
“Nothing at all; a worthless amount or result.”