זייגער

Yiddish

Etymology

From Middle High German seigære (“scales”, later also “clock”), derived from Middle High German seigen (“to weigh”), possibly related to sīgen (“to sink”), from Proto-Germanic *sīganą. Alternatively seigen may be derived from Latin exagium. Compare obsolete German Seiger (“clock”), Polish zegar (“clock”). Compare also German Zeiger (“hand of a clock”), which is unrelated but may have contributed to the semantic development.

Noun

זייגער • (zeyger) m, plural זייגערס (zeygers), diminutive זייגערל (zeygerl)

1. clock (instrument to measure or keep track of time)
2. o'clock, time (used in telling time)