Mokum
{{short description|Nickname for Amsterdam}}
{{about|the Yiddish word|the music label|Mokum Records}}
{{italic title}}
Mokum (מקום) is the Yiddish word for "place" or "safe haven".{{cite web |title=Yiddish Dictionary Online |url=http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/dictionary/m |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713202443/http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/dictionary/m |archive-date=13 July 2015}} It is derived from the Hebrew word makom (מקום, "place").{{cite web |title=Milon |url=http://www.milon.co.il/general/general.php?term=%D7%9E%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9D |url-status=dead |access-date=2007-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083306/http://www.milon.co.il/general/general.php?term=%D7%9E%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9D |archive-date=2007-09-29}}
| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em;" | ||
| City | Yiddish | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Alkmaar
|Mokum Aye | – | ||
| Amsterdam
|Mokum Alef |City A | ||
| Berlin
|Mokum Beis |City B | ||
| Delft
|Mokum Dollet |City D | ||
| Rotterdam
|Mokum Resh |City R | ||
| Winschoten
|Mokum van het Noorden |City of the North |
In Yiddish, the names for some cities in the Netherlands and Germany were shortened to Mokum and had the first letter of the name of the city, transliterated into the Hebrew alphabet, added to them. Cities named this way were Amsterdam, Berlin, Delft, and Rotterdam.{{cite web |last=Martens |first=Hadewych |title=Jiddisch, ontstaan en etymologie |url=http://www.ety.nl/jiddisch.html |website=www.ety.nl |date=2006-09-26 |access-date=2007-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007161411/http://www.ety.nl/jiddisch.html |archive-date=2006-10-07}}
File:Borden Amsterdam overplakt met de naam Mokum, het bord aa de Utrechtseweg, Bestanddeelnr 915-2363.jpg" on a city limit sign in 1963]]
Mokum, without Aleph, is still commonly used as a nickname in the Netherlands for the city of Amsterdam. The nickname was first considered to be an example of bargoens, a form of Dutch slang, but in the 20th century it lost its negative sound and is now used by Amsterdammers as a nickname for their city in a sentimental context.{{cite book |last1=Berns |first1=Jan |last2=Daan |first2=Jo |title=Hij zeit wat. De Amsterdamse volkstaal |publisher=BZZTôH |location=The Hague, Netherlands |year=1992 |page=66 |isbn=90-6291-756-9 |language=nl}} Examples are the song "Brand in Mokum" (derived from "Scotland's Burning"); Mokum 700, an exhibit in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre celebrating the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam in 1975;[https://archief.amsterdam/beeldbank/detail/147a7c43-d99b-78eb-2b1e-7a13b48dd8ed "700-jarig bestaan van Amsterdam 1275–1975"], Amsterdam City Archives. Retrieved 2020-02-11. Mokum in Hi-Fi, an album by Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas;{{citation |title=Ben Van Gelder, Reinier Baas – Mokum In Hi-Fi |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/14069913-Ben-Van-Gelder-Reinier-Baas-Mokum-In-Hi-Fi |date=2019-09-13 |access-date=2025-03-30}} and "Mama Mokum", a song from 1997 about Amsterdam, by Ramses Shaffy.[https://www.discogs.com/Ramses-Ramses-97/release/3972773 "Ramses '97"], Discogs. Retrieved 2020-02-11.