Tref

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing food that does not meet Jewish dietary laws and is therefore forbidden to observant Jews
2. Not fit to be eaten under Jewish religious law, especially meat that is not prepared according to kashrut
3. Of food that is non-kosher, prohibited by the dietary rules of Judaism

Etymology: Its root is a Hebrew term for torn flesh. In Hebrew, "terefah" meant an animal that had been mauled or torn by beasts, and so was unfit to eat under Jewish dietary law. The Hebrew verb behind it, "taraf," means "to tear." The Yiddish "treyf" carried the sense into everyday speech, and English took it up as "tref," an adjective meaning not kosher, or by extension not right or proper. The Welsh "tref," meaning "town" or "settlement," looks identical but is unrelated. It is a coincidence of spelling between a Brittonic word and a Hebrew one, not a shared ancestor.