English Explanatory Dictionary

schmear

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A spread that goes on a bagel.
  2. A batch of things that go together.
  3. An aggregate.
verb
  1. To spread something, often a bagel spread.
  2. To bribe.

Pronunciation

/ʃmɪə(ɹ)/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-schmear.wav

Word forms

schmear schmears shmear schmeer shmeer schmearing schmeared

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish שמיר (shmir, “smear, spread”); compare German schmieren. Doublet of smear, smearcase. By surface analysis, schm- + smear. The sense “bribe” is from Yiddish שמירן (shmirn, “to smear, to bribe”), senses found also in German schmieren. The implication is that a bribe helps “lubricate” an interaction.

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