Pennsylvania Dutch

noun

the descendants of 17th- and 18th-century settlers in Pennsylvania from southwest Germany and Switzerland.
Also called Pennsylvania German. a dialect of High German with an admixture of English spoken mainly in eastern Pennsylvania, developed from the language of these settlers. Abbreviations: PaD, PaG

the folk style of applied and decorative art developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Origin of Pennsylvania Dutch

First recorded in 1815–25

Other words from Pennsylvania Dutch

Penn·syl·va·nia-Dutch, adjective

Words Nearby Pennsylvania Dutch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Pennsylvania Dutch in a sentence

He was in the Pennsylvania Dutch district, the richest and thriftiest farming country in the world.
Bert Wilson's Twin Cylinder Racer | J. W. Duffield
He swore in Pennsylvania-Dutch, and again demanded my explanation, which I firmly declined to give.
The Boy Spy | Joseph Kerby

British Dictionary definitions for Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

noun

Also called: Pennsylvania German a dialect of German spoken in E Pennsylvania
the Pennsylvania Dutch (functioning as plural) a group of German-speaking people in E Pennsylvania, descended from 18th-century settlers from SW Germany and Switzerland

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

The German and Swiss settlers of Pennsylvania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their descendants. “Dutch” is a version of the German Deutsch, meaning “German.” The Pennsylvania Dutch are known for their tidy farms and their distinctive crafts and customs. A considerable number of them belong to strict religious denominations, such as the Amish.

Browse