Where does “schmear” come from?

schmear (English) comes from Yiddish שמיר, from Yiddish שמירן, from Middle High German smirwen, from Old High German smirwen, from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic smirwijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

schmear (English): A spread that goes on a bagel; A batch of things...

Definitions

  1. A spread that goes on a bagel; A batch of things...

Ancestry of “schmear”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Yiddishשמירbatch of things that go together; aggregate,...
2Yiddishשמירןto smear, grease; to bribe; plural of שמיר
3Middle High Germansmirwen
4Old High Germansmirwen
5Proto-West Germanic*smirwijanto smear
6Proto-Germanicsmirwijanąto smear, anoint
7Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Germanic -janąEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti
schmear — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer