מזל טוב
ma-ZAL tov (Israeli) / MA-zel tov (Yiddish-American)
Congratulations (lit. "good constellation").
What does it literally mean, and what do Israelis actually mean?
What it literally means
Literal: "good constellation."
שמענו שהתארסתם, מזל טוב!Shamanu she-hit'arastem, mazal tov!We heard you got engaged, congratulations!
What Israelis actually mean
"Congratulations!", the "drip from above" (nazal) gloss is folk-etymology, labeled as such.
מזל טוב לנולדת, שהיא תגדל לתורה ולחופה.Mazal tov la-noldet, she-hi tigdal la-Torah ve-la-chupa.Congrats on the baby girl, may she grow to Torah and the wedding canopy.
Where did this word come from?
Mishnaic mazzal = constellation/destiny; usually traced to Akkadian manzaltu/mazzaztum ("station, position [of a star]", from izuzzu, to stand), the standard account in reference literature; Hebrew folk analysis links it to root נ.ז.ל "flow" (influence "flowing down" from the stars, a midrashic-style gloss, folk, not etymology). The phrase מזל טוב as congratulation is documented as Yiddish in formation (entered English from Yiddish by 1862), then re-absorbed into modern Hebrew. The Akkadian link is standard but not airtight; the phrase history is documented.
Register & social context
Universal, ceremonial & casual. It acknowledges luck that HAS occurred, "congratulations," not "good luck" (for which: be-hatzlacha). Israelis say it fast and flat, not ceremonially.
Root & morphology
מזל (mazal), post-biblical; biblical cognates: mazzalot (2 Kings 23:5), mazzarot (Job 38:32). + טוב (tov, good).
Influences & contact languages
- Akkadian· contactMishnaic mazzal "constellation/destiny" usually traced to Akkadian manzaltu/mazzaztum, "station of a star", standard but not airtight.
- Yiddish (ייִדיש)The congratulation phrase is Yiddish in formation (entered English by 1862), then re-absorbed into Hebrew.
Associated places · modern location anchors
Which places are associated with this word?
One place carries a documented relationship to this word.
Hear it in the wild
שמענו שהתארסתם, מזל טוב!
Shamanu she-hit'arastem, mazal tov!
We heard you got engaged, congratulations!
מזל טוב לנולדת, שהיא תגדל לתורה ולחופה.
Mazal tov la-noldet, she-hi tigdal la-Torah ve-la-chupa.
Congrats on the baby girl, may she grow to Torah and the wedding canopy.
What English speakers get wrong
(a) It's not "good luck", that's be-hatzlacha; (b) the literal constellation meaning is real but the "drip from above" (nazal) gloss is folk-etymology; (c) Israelis say it fast and flat, not ceremonially.
What lives next to this word?
See the language constellation
Follow this word into a guided story
Sources & review
Want to use this word? Understand it inside a full sentence: Open baba →