Where does “Schmalz” come from?

Schmalz (German) comes from Middle High German smalz, from Old High German smalz, from Proto-West Germanic smalt, from Proto-Germanic *smultą.

Schmalz (German): grease; lard; schmaltz

Definitions

  1. grease; lard; schmaltz

Ancestry of “Schmalz”, step by step

Schmalz traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle High German smalz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germansmalz—
2Old High Germansmalzlard, fat
3Proto-West Germanicsmaltfat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat
4Proto-Germanic*smultą—

via Middle Low German smal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germansmalsmall
2Old Saxonsmal—
3Proto-Germanicsmalazsmall
4Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little

Words derived from “Schmalz”

Every word from Proto-Germanic *smultą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic smalt →Every word from Old High German smalz →