A non-Jewish person; from Hebrew and Yiddish, sometimes used as a plural form of 'goy,' though 'goyim' is more common.
From Hebrew 'goy' (nation or people), originally meaning any non-Israelite nation, later used specifically in Jewish communities to distinguish non-Jews.
The word 'goy' shows how insular groups throughout history create insider/outsider language—similar to how other cultures have words for 'foreigners' or 'non-members'—and its existence reminds us that boundary-drawing through language is ancient and universal.
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