Where does “schwatz” come from?

schwatz (Pennsylvania German) comes from Middle High German swarz, from Old High German swarz, from Proto-West Germanic swart, from Proto-Germanic swartaz, from Proto-Indo-European swordo- — dirty, dark, black.

schwatz (Pennsylvania German): black

Definitions

  1. black

Ancestry of “schwatz”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanswarz—
2Old High Germanswarzblack
3Proto-West Germanicswartblack
4Proto-Germanicswartazblack
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswordo-dirty, dark, black
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swordo- →Every word from Proto-Germanic swartaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic swart →