The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has expanded its definition of the word "Yid" to include a "supporter of or player for Tottenham Hotspur".
The word come from the Yiddish term for Jew but are thought to have been taken up as an insult during the 20th Century, particularly during the time of Oswald Moseley's fascist movement in Britain in the 1930s.
The North London club have traditionally drawn a significant number of fans from the area's local Jewish community and this has led to anti-Semitic abuse from rival supporters.
The dictionary's publisher, The Oxford University Press, said in a statement it takes a historical approach, meaning it records the usage and development of words rather than prescribing how they are used.
The OED, regarded as the leading dictionary of British English, has also added the closely related word "Yiddo" to its latest edition.
Chants of "Yids", "Yid Army", "Yiddos" and "The thing I love most is being a Yid" are frequently heard in the home stands at Tottenham games.
However, the word is controversial, even among the club's fanbase, and Tottenham have labelled the dictionary's new definition as "misleading".
In December, Tottenham released the results of a poll on the word, with more than 23,000 responses.
It found that some 94 percent of respondents acknowledged the word can be considered a racist term against a Jewish person, and nearly a half of respondents wanted supporters to abandon or use it less in chants.
The word come from the Yiddish term for Jew but are thought to have been taken up as an insult during the 20th Century, particularly during the time of Oswald Moseley's fascist movement in Britain in the 1930s.
The North London club have traditionally drawn a significant number of fans from the area's local Jewish community and this has led to anti-Semitic abuse from rival supporters.
The dictionary's publisher, The Oxford University Press, said in a statement it takes a historical approach, meaning it records the usage and development of words rather than prescribing how they are used.
As a historical dictionary, the OED records the usage and development of words in the English language.
We reflect, rather than dictate, how language is used which means we include words which may be considered sensitive and derogatory. These are always labelled as such.
The OED, regarded as the leading dictionary of British English, has also added the closely related word "Yiddo" to its latest edition.
The entry for "Yiddo" is labelled as offensive and derogatory and our reference to Tottenham Hotspur is a reflection of the evidence for the word.
As we state at the closely related word "Yid", Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is traditionally associated with the Jewish community in north and east London, and the term is sometimes used as a self-designation by some Tottenham fans.
We will ensure the context for this connection is very clear in both definitions.
Chants of "Yids", "Yid Army", "Yiddos" and "The thing I love most is being a Yid" are frequently heard in the home stands at Tottenham games.
However, the word is controversial, even among the club's fanbase, and Tottenham have labelled the dictionary's new definition as "misleading".
As a club we have never accommodated the use of the Y word on any club channels or in club stores and have always been clear that our fans (both Jewish and gentile) have never used the term with any intent to cause offence.
We find the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of the word misleading given it fails to distinguish context and welcome their clarification.
In December, Tottenham released the results of a poll on the word, with more than 23,000 responses.
It found that some 94 percent of respondents acknowledged the word can be considered a racist term against a Jewish person, and nearly a half of respondents wanted supporters to abandon or use it less in chants.
