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schvartze

[ shvahr-tsuh; English shvahrt-suh ]

noun

, Yiddish: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
  1. a term used by some Jewish people to refer to a Black person.


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Sensitive Note

Schvartze was used through the 1960s (and even later by the older generation) to refer specifically to a Black housekeeper or servant. The term was not always used contemptuously; in fact, the Yiddish noun is derived from a merely descriptive adjective meaning "black" (German schwarz ). However, schvartze has been categorized by some as an inside “code word,” a less transparent equivalent of nigger, and so the term has fallen into disrepute.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of schvartze1

First recorded in 1960–65; from Yiddish shvarts “black”; compare German schwartz

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