Dictionary.com

schvartze

[ shvahr-tsuh; English shvahrt-suh ]
/ ˈʃvɑr tsə; English ˈʃvɑrt sə /
Save This Word!

noun Yiddish: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
a term used by some Jewish people to refer to a Black person.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Also shvartz·e [shvahr-tsuh; English shvahr-tsuh], /ˈʃvɑr tsə; English ˈʃvɑr tsə/, schvartz·er [shvahr-tsuhr; English shvahr-tser] /ˈʃvɑr tsər; English ˈʃvɑr tsər/ .

Origin of schvartze

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

usage note for schvartze

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