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schmaltz

or schmalz

[shmahlts, shmawlts]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR schmaltz ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal. exaggerated sentimentalism, as in music or soap operas.

fat or grease, especially of a chicken.

Origin of schmaltz

1930–35; < Yiddish shmalts or German Schmaltz; cognate with smelt¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for schmaltz

sentimentalism, sentiment, mushiness, nostalgia, mawkishness, reminiscence, bathos, triteness, melodrama

Examples from the Web for schmaltz

Historical Examples of schmaltz

Schmaltz and Lachaumareys gave orders to take the route for Senegal.
Perils and Captivity
Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard
Schmaltz and Lachaumareys, were at the port to receive us from our boats.
Perils and Captivity
Charlotte-Adlade [ne Picard] Dard
He and Schmaltz they couldn't have it whole because "half of the back is on the front."
The Boy Grew Older
Heywood Broun
And again the fortune of Schmaltz was swept away and again he was kicked.
The Boy Grew Older
Heywood Broun
Somehow or other the story of Schmaltz and the shirt had made him sad.
The Boy Grew Older
Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for schmaltz

schmaltz

schmalz

noun

excessive sentimentality, esp in music

US animal fat used in cooking

Word Origin for schmaltz

C20: from German (Schmalz) and Yiddish: melted fat, from Old High German smalz

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

Word Origin and History for schmaltz

n.

"banal or excessive sentimentalism," 1935, from Yiddish shmalts, literally "melted fat," from Middle High German smalz, from Old High German smalz "animal fat," related to smelzan "to melt" (see smelt (v.)). Modern German Schmalz "fat, grease" has the same figurative meaning. First mentioned in English as "a derogatory term used to describe straight jazz" ["Vanity Fair," Nov. 1935].

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper