nebbish

 
Pronunciation: /ˈnɛbɪʃ/

noun

informal, chiefly North American
  • a person, especially a man, who is regarded as pitifully ineffectual, timid, or submissive: He’s a nebbish. No money, no prestige, no future [as modifier]: his nebbish sensibility

Derivatives

nebbishy

adjective

Origin:

late 19th century: from Yiddish nebekh 'poor thing'