[Yiddish shlemíl, perhaps from Hebrew šəlūmî'ēl, my well-being is God, Shelumiel (a character in the Bible, Numbers 7:36) : šəlūmî, my well-being (šālôm, well-being; see šlm in the Appendix of Semitic roots + -î, my) + 'ēl, God; see ʾl in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]