kitsch

Where does the word "kitsch" come from? It comes from German kitschen, passing through German before entering English (1900s).

Kitsch’s story begins in German: kitschen meant “to smear, sketch cheaply.” Possibly meaning "to smear" or "to sketch quickly". Within German, it grew into Kitsch by 1800s. Applied to cheap, sentimental, mass-produced art. It reached English by 1900s as kitsch. Munich art dealers used it in the 1860s–70s for cheap sketches; Clement Greenberg's 1939 essay spread it in English. Today, kitsch means art, objects, or design considered tacky, garish, or overly sentimental.

1. Stage 1 · German · 1800s kitschen "to smear, sketch cheaply", possibly meaning "to smear" or "to sketch quickly".
2. Stage 2 · German · 1800s Kitsch "cheap, sentimental art", applied to cheap, sentimental, mass-produced art.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s kitsch "art or objects considered tacky or overly sentimental", Munich art dealers used it in the 1860s–70s for cheap sketches; Clement Greenberg's 1939 essay spread it in English.