mazel tov

"Mazel tov" or "mazal tov" (; lit. "good fortune") is a Jewish phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event. Etymology and pronunciation The word mazel comes from the Biblical Hebrew , meaning "constellation" or (in Mishnaic Hebrew) "astrological sign" and may be related to the root meaning "to flow down". The phrase mazel tov first appears in Geonic Hebrew, where it means "positive astrological sign" or simply "good fortune." The Medieval Hebrew chant "A good sign, a good omen! Let it happen for us and for all Israel" was used to congratulate, and the phrase itself acquired a congratulatory usage in Yiddish and Hebrew by the early 19th century and was later incorporated into Modern Hebrew. The Yiddish and Ashkenazic pronunciation of mazel has the stress on the first syllable while the Modern Hebrew word has the stress on the last syllable. Mazel-tov is also used as a personal name. The phrase "mazel tov" is recorded as entering into American English from Yiddish in 1862, pronounced . The word mazel was lent to a number of European languages, meaning "luck", such as: German, as ; Hungarian, as ; Dutch, as and the verb ("to be lucky"). The word also entered Dutch as or ("nice" or "great") and German as or .