What does golem mean?
A golem is, in its best-known sense, a human-shaped figure from Jewish folklore. Traditionally made from clay and brought to life through mystical means, golems are associated with stories of obedient but powerful artificial beings, including the legendary figure of Prague. The word has also acquired a technological meaning: a robot, android, or other artificial being modeled on a human. In ordinary figurative use, a golem may be a large, clumsy, or stolid person, although this application can sound disparaging. The term is memorable because it joins religious and literary folklore with modern ideas about artificial intelligence, making it especially useful in discussions of robots, animation, and human-created beings. Its strongest associations remain Jewish folklore, clay, and the tension between a created figure's apparent lifelessness and its possible humanity.
nounIn Jewish folklore, a humanoid figure made from clay or another material and brought to life through mystical means. The term can also refer to a fictional mechanical or artificial being, or figuratively to a large, clumsy person.
- An artificial humanoid figure in Jewish folklore, traditionally formed from clay and animated by divine or mystical power.
- A fictional robot, machine, or other artificial being designed to resemble a human.
- A large, clumsy, powerful person, used figuratively and sometimes disparagingly.
"The mysterious golem appeared in the moonlit alley, moving with surprising gentleness."
"The golem lumbered down the street, leaving deep footprints in the soft earth."
"The novel imagines a golem designed to guard the city but gradually develops a conscience of its own."
"The defender moved through the defense like a golem, powerful but unusually awkward."
The standard plural is golems.
"Two golems appeared at the gates of the city."
The word golem entered English through Yiddish, carrying with it an old tradition of lifeless clay made mysteriously human.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does golem come from?
The English word comes through Yiddish from Hebrew, where golem means a body, mass, or formed material. In Jewish folklore, the term was applied to a human-shaped figure made from such material and supposedly animated through divine or mystical power. Its development from a general word for a body or mass into a name for an artificial creature also underlies its later figurative and science-fiction uses.
How golem is actually used
The word is chiefly literary, technical, or figurative. Its use for a person is usually disparaging or humorous, while the modern artificial-being sense is common in science fiction and discussions of robotics.
Easily confused with golem
A golem is traditionally an artificial human-shaped figure from Jewish folklore, whereas a goblin is a small, often mischievous or grotesque creature found in folklore and fantasy.