page_title: Jew (word)
section_title: Modern use
hierarchical_section_title: Jew (word) / Modern use
caption_attribution_description: English: Obverse of Jewish Yehud (Judaean) silver coin (.58 gram), from the Persian era with falcon or eagle and inscription in Aramaic "Yehud" (Judaea)
context_page_description: The English term Jew originates in the Biblical Hebrew word Yehudi, meaning "from the Kingdom of Judah", or, in a more religious meaning: 'worshiper of one God' [jehudi is made up of the first three letters of the tetragrammaton and the extension 'i' means 'I']. See Jastrow Dictionary and the source he used: Megilla 13a:2. It passed into Greek as Ioudaios and Latin as Iudaeus, which evolved into the Old French giu after the letter "d" was dropped. A variety of related forms are found in early English from about the year 1000, including Iudea, Gyu, Giu, Iuu, Iuw, and Iew, which eventually developed into the modern word.
context_section_description: In modern English, the term "Israelite" was used to refer to contemporary Jews as well as to Jews of antiquity until the mid-20th-century. Since the foundation of the State of Israel, it has become less common to use "Israelite" of Jews in general. Instead, citizens of the state of Israel, whether Jewish or not, are called "Israeli", while "Jew" is used as an ethno-religious designation.
caption: Obverse of a Jewish silver Yehud coin from the Persian era, with falcon or eagle and Aramaic inscription "יהד" "Yehud" (Judaea)
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