Etymology

smudge

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Today it means: A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one. Full definition →

Middle English *smogen
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smudge · noun1

Derived from the verb (see below). Doublet of smutch.

smudge · verb2

  1. Middle English · inherited from*smogen
  2. English todaysmudge

From Middle English *smogen (attested in the gerund smogynge (“soiling, smudging”)), of obscure origin. Compare Middle English besmudded, bismuddet (“filthy”), Middle English smod (“filth, obscene behaviour”), Middle Dutch smoddich (“filthy, dirty”), German schmutzig (“dirty, filthy”).

Smudge · proper noun3

As smiths are often covered in smudges of soot.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.