schmuck
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Yiddish שמאָק (shmok, “penis”). Further origin uncertain. Possibly from Old Polish smok (“dragon”), or a baby-talk corruption of Yiddish שמעקל (shmekl), a dissimilated form of שטעקל (shtekl, “penis/willy”, literally “little stick”). Alternatively from the verb Middle High German smucken, archaic German schmucken, which has several meanings respectively allowing different semantic connections: 1.) “to squeeze, press, fit into something tight”; 2.) “to hug, snuggle, kiss”; 3.) “to adorn, decorate”. The last of these three senses is perhaps less likely, but compare German Schmuck (“jewellery”) with English crown jewels.
Pronunciation
Noun
schmuck (plural schmucks)
- (colloquial, vulgar) The penis.
- Synonyms: dick, prick; see also Thesaurus:penis
- (colloquial, derogatory) A useless item or person.
- (colloquial, derogatory, US) A jerk; an unpleasant or detestable person.
- 1995 September, The Playboy Interview: Cindy Crawford, Playboy
- One day my girlfriend, her boyfriend and I were sunbathing topless because that's Barbados - you can wear nothing if you want. And the Pepsi guy walks up and with my agent to meet us for lunch. I wondered if I should put on my top because I have a business relationship with him. I didn't want him to get offended because the rest of the beach had seen me with my top off. Meanwhile, as he's walking towards me he's saying to my agent "I hope she puts on her top.". He wasn't even being a schmuck, like wanting to see.
- 1995 September, The Playboy Interview: Cindy Crawford, Playboy
Derived terms
Translations
See also
Further reading
Yiddish language on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
German
Etymology
From Middle Low German smuk (“supple, bendsome, pleasing, beautiful, petite, cute”) (compare Middle Low German smuk (“ornament, jewellery”)), from Old Saxon *smuk, *smukk, from Proto-Germanic *smukkaz (“flexible, bendsome, easy”), from Proto-Indo-European *smewg- (“to slip, glide, slide”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
schmuck (comparative schmucker, superlative am schmucksten)
Declension
Further reading
- “schmuck” in Duden online
- English terms borrowed from Yiddish
- English terms derived from Yiddish
- English terms with unknown etymologies
- English terms derived from Old Polish
- English terms derived from Middle High German
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ʌk
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English colloquialisms
- English vulgarities
- English derogatory terms
- American English
- German terms borrowed from Middle Low German
- German terms derived from Middle Low German
- German terms derived from Old Saxon
- German terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- German 1-syllable words
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- German terms with audio links
- German terms with homophones
- Rhymes:German/ʊk
- German lemmas
- German adjectives
- German dated terms