Smitch
/smɪtʃ/noun
A small speck, particle, stain, or smear, chiefly in Scots and regional English.
Did you know?Smitch belongs to a cluster of expressive Germanic words for smearing, dirt, and tiny particles, where sound itself helped suggest something small, messy, or clinging.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English period
Middle English
smitchen / smicchen
“Regional forms associated with smearing or making a mark; the precise historical connection is uncertain.”
15th–16th Century
Scots
smitch
“A small particle, speck, or tiny quantity.”
17th Century
Scots
smitch
“A spot, stain, or smear; also used as a verb meaning to soil or mark.”
18th–19th Century
Scots and English dialects
smitch
“A minute bit or dirty mark, especially in regional speech.”
Modern English
Regional English
smitch
“An uncommon dialect word for a speck, smudge, stain, or small amount.”