schvartze

American  

[shvahr-tsuh, shvahrt-suh] / ˈʃvɑr tsə, ˈʃvɑrt sə /

English shvartze

noun

Yiddish: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a term used by some Jewish people to refer to a Black person.

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Sensitive Note

Schvartze was used through the 1960s (and even later by the older generation) to refer specifically to a Black housekeeper or servant. The term was not always used contemptuously; in fact, the Yiddish noun is derived from a merely descriptive adjective meaning "black" (German schwarz ). However, schvartze has been categorized by some as an inside “code word,” a less transparent equivalent of nigger, and so the term has fallen into disrepute.

Etymology

Origin of schvartze

First recorded in 1960–65; from Yiddish shvarts “black”; compare German schwartz