schmooze

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʃmuːz/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Yiddish שמועסן (shmuesn, “to chat”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from shmues “idle talk, chat”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Hebrew שמועות (šəmūʿōt, “news, rumors”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

To chat or gossip; to have a long, intimate conversation (1897, as schmoos, or 1884 in Merriam-Webster).^[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The noun, a chat, followed in 1939,^[7][3][4] and the agent noun schmoozer is recorded by 1909.^[4] The word is originally American.^[6] In modern use it often implies chatting in a friendly, persuasive way to gain favour, business or connections.^[5][1]

Timeline

• 1884 – Merriam-Webster's date.^[5]
• 1897 – verb, to chat.^[7][3][4]
• 1909 – schmoozer.^[4]
• 1939 – noun.^[7][3][4]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To talk casually; to chat or gossip.
2. To chat in a friendly, persuasive way so as to gain favor, business or connections.

Noun

1. A casual, often gossipy or ingratiating conversation.

Word family

• schmoozer
• schmoozy

Related words

• chat
• gossip

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press