מאַכן

From Middle High German machen, from Old High German mahhōn, from Proto-West Germanic *makōn. For the sense "to wave", compare Polish machać, Ukrainian маха́ти (maxáty), both formed with the instrumental case (e.g. "machać rękami").

⁧מאַכן⁩ • (makhn) (past participle ⁧געמאַכט⁩ (gemakht))

1. to make, create
2. to do
3. to say
   • 1894, ⁧שלום־עליכם⁩ (sholem-aleyhkem, “Sholem Aleichem”), “⁧דאָס גרויסע געווינס⁩ (dos groyse gevins)”, in ⁧טבֿיה דער מילכיקער⁩ (tevye der milkhiker, “Tevye the Dairyman”):

     ⁧אַ גוטן אָוונט, סקאָצל קומט! — מאַך איך צו זיי שטאַרק אויף אַ קול, כּלומרשט אין גוטן מוט.⁩

     a gutn ovnt, skotsl kumt! — makh ikh tsu zey shtark oyf a kol, kloymersht in gutn mut.

     “Good evening, what a surprise!” I say to them in a strong voice, as though in a good mood.

4. to be, feel

   ⁧וואָס מאַכט ער⁩ ― vos makht er ― How is he?

5. (with ⁧מיט⁩ (mit)) to wave

   ⁧מאַכן םיט די הענט⁩

   makhn mit di hent

   to wave with the hands

• ⁧מאַכער⁩ (makher)
• ⁧אײַנמאַכן⁩ (aynmakhn, “to preserve food”)
• ⁧אויסמאַכן⁩ (oysmakhn, “to matter, to be important”)

⁧מאַכן⁩ • (makhn)

1. plural of ⁧מאַך⁩ (makh)

• Uriel Weinreich (1955) Yiddish Blends with a Slavic Element, WORD, 11:4,607