luftmensch

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

luftmensch

Yiddish, from German luft, air, and mensch, person.

[edit] Noun

luftmensch (plural luftmenschen, or, less commonly, luftmensches)

  1. One more concerned with airy intellectual pursuits than practical matters
    My husband is such a luftmensch he missed our anniversary dinner because he was too busy reading his books!
    • McLean, Helen. "Marc of Distinction." The Globe and Mail: Books. March 24, 2007, p.D6 (reviewing the book Marc Chagall by Jonathan Wilson)
      "Chagall was a luftmensch, he says, a man of the air..."