kitsch

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɪt͡ʃ/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Kitsch,^[2][3][4][5] probably of dialect origin,^[2] from kitschen “to smear”^[3] or “to throw together a work of art”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Art or objects marked by worthless pretentiousness (1926 in the OED and Etymonline; 1925 in Merriam-Webster).^[6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Before 1926 it appeared in English as a German word,^[3] as in a 1921 article contrasting German süsses Kitsch, the art of the picture postcard, with English taste.^[3] It came to mean sentimental, gaudy or vulgar art and decoration made to appeal to popular taste,^[2][4][5] and also the attitude that enjoys it.^[2] The adjective kitschy follows in 1951.^[6]

Timeline

• 1921 – as a German word in English.^[3]
• 1925–26 – kitsch.^[4][6][3]
• 1951 – kitschy.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Art or objects of sentimental, pretentious or vulgar bad taste, made to appeal to popular taste.
2. A tacky or lowbrow quality.

Adjective

1. Characterized by kitsch.

Word family

• kitschify
• kitschy

Related words

• camp
• tawdry
• gaudy

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press