Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “schlocky” come from?

schlocky (English) comes from English schlock, from Yiddish שלאַק, from German Schlacke, from Middle Low German slagge, from Middle Low German slān, from Old Saxon slāhan, from Proto-West Germanic slahan, from Proto-Germanic slahaną — to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...

schlocky (English): Of inferior quality, cheap; Tacky, of tasteless...

Definitions

  1. Of inferior quality, cheap; Tacky, of tasteless...

Ancestry of “schlocky”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishschlockCommodity that is shoddy or inferior
2Yiddishשלאַק—
3GermanSchlackeslag, dross, scoria; cinders, clinker; sediment,...
4Middle Low Germanslagge—
5Middle Low Germanslānto hit, strike
6Old Saxonslāhan—
7Proto-West Germanicslahanto hit, to strike; to kill
8Proto-Germanicslahanąto hit, to strike; to kill
9Proto-Indo-Europeanslak-to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European slak- →