Smutch
/smʌtʃ/noun
A dirty mark, stain, or smear; also, to make dirty or blacken.
Did you know?The word is an old English dialect form linked to the same Germanic family as *smudge*, showing how languages can preserve the idea of a blackening mark for centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*smuk- / *smut-
“A root associated with smearing, staining, or dirtying”
Middle English
English
smotchen / smutchen
“To soil, stain, or blacken”
16th Century
English
smutch
“A black mark, dirt stain, or smear”
Modern English
English
smutch
“A dirty mark or smear; to stain or blacken”
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