Kike
/kaɪk/noun
A highly offensive antisemitic slur for a Jewish person.
Did you know?Unlike many English slurs, the precise origin of “kike” is unresolved; proposed explanations involving immigrant spellings and Yiddish forms remain unproven.
Etymological Timeline
Late 19th Century
English
kike
“An emerging antisemitic insult in American English; its earliest precise source is uncertain.”
1890s–1900s
American English
kike
“Recorded in American usage as a derogatory term for a Jewish person.”
Early 20th Century
English
kike
“The slur became more widely established in U.S. speech and writing amid anti-immigrant and antisemitic hostility.”
20th Century
English
kike
“Its use continued as an explicit ethnic and religious insult, especially in racist propaganda and abuse.”
Modern English
English
kike
“Recognized as a severely offensive antisemitic slur; respectful usage is limited to historical, analytical, or quoted contexts.”
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