Dutch

American  

[duhch] / dʌtʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the natives or inhabitants of the Netherlands or their country or language.

2. pertaining to or designating the style of painting and subject matter developed in the Netherlands during the 17th century, chiefly characterized by the use of chiaroscuro, muted tones, naturalistic colors or forms, and of genre, landscape, or still-life subjects drawn from contemporary urban and rural life.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

4. Archaic. German; Teutonic.

---

noun

1. the people of the Netherlands and their immediate descendants elsewhere, collectively.

2. Pennsylvania Dutch.

3. Also called Netherlandic.  the Germanic language of the Netherlands and northern Belgium. D, D.

4. Obsolete. the German language.

idioms

1. go Dutch, to have each person pay their own expenses: Also go dutch

   a dinner where everyone goes Dutch.

2. in Dutch, in trouble or disfavor (with someone).

   in Dutch with the teacher for disturbing the class.

Dutch ¹ British  

/ dʌtʃ /

noun

1. the language of the Netherlands, belonging to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European family and quite closely related to German and English See also Flemish Afrikaans

2. (functioning as plural) the natives, citizens, or inhabitants of the Netherlands

3. See Pennsylvania Dutch

4. See double Dutch

5. slang in trouble

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Netherlands, its inhabitants, or their language

adverb

1. informal to share expenses equally

dutch ² British  

/ dʌtʃ /

noun

1. slang wife

---

Dutch More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing Dutch

• beat all (the Dutch)
• double Dutch
• in Dutch

---

Sensitive Note

The idioms go Dutch (related to Dutch treat ) and in Dutch (which uses Dutch to mean “trouble”) are both sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Dutch. In addition, the adjective Dutch is found in a few other set phrases ( Dutch courage, Dutch gold, and Dutch uncle ) in which it implies that something Dutch is not authentic. Although insulting a particular person or nationality may be unintentional, it is best to be aware that use of these terms is sometimes perceived as offensive to or by the Dutch.

Other Word Forms

• pre-Dutch adjective
• pseudo-Dutch adjective

Etymology

Origin of Dutch

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Duch, from Middle Dutch duutsch “Dutch, German(ic),” Old High German diutisc “popular, vulgar (language)” (as opposed to learned Latin), translation of Latin (lingua) vulgāris “popular (language)”

Example Sentences

"I've never experienced a situation which is as dangerous, as urgent, as it is today," he told me at a military base in Munster, near the Dutch border.

From BBC

Suriname, a former Dutch colony, has been producing talent for the Netherlands for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

A group of investors including a Dutch payments provider is backing a carbon-capture project in Stockholm, in what is the first sale of carbon-removal credits licensed by the European Union.

From The Wall Street Journal

The list of players of Surinamese heritage to light up European soccer is familiar to anyone who has watched the great Dutch sides of the past 40 years.

From The Wall Street Journal

More than 350 years after the death of legendary French musketeer d'Artagnan, remains have been found under the floor of a Dutch church that may well have been his.

From BBC