Etymology

schmooze

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Today it means: To talk casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection. Full definition →

Yiddish שמועס ← Hebrew שְׁמוּעוֹת
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The story

  1. Hebrew · derived fromשְׁמוּעוֹת
  2. Yiddish · borrowed fromשמועס
  3. English todayschmooze

Borrowed from Yiddish שמועס (shmues), from Hebrew שְׁמוּעוֹת (sh'mu'ót), plural of שְׁמוּעָה (sh'mu'á, “report, piece of news, rumor”). Cognate with German schmusen (“to cuddle”, older “to flirt, flatter, schmooze”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.