Meanings
- countablein pluraluncountableThose people of German origin who settled in the Pennsylvania area prior to 1800, and their descendants.
The holiday evolved over centuries as it was observed by different groups, from the Celts to Germans to the Pennsylvania Dutch and eventually, by those in other parts of the US.
2023 February 1, Scottie Andrew, “The bizarre history of Groundhog Day”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2024 - uncountableTheir language, Pennsylvania German, a High German language descended from Palatine German.
- countablenonstandarduncountableThe Old Order Amish.
- not comparableRelated to the Pennsylvania German people or their language.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- pflDeitsch“German”
- EnglishPennsylvania Dutch
From their primary residence in Pennsylvania and from Palatine German Deitsch (“German”), their own endonym, gradually modified under influence from Dutch.
More words from pfl
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Pennsylvanier, Pennsylvaniadeutsch
- PennsylvanierPeople of Pennsylvania German origin
- Pennsylvaniadeutschlanguage
Norwegian Bokmål pennsylvaniatyskere, pennsylvaniatysk
- pennsylvaniatyskerePeople of Pennsylvania German origin
- pennsylvaniatysklanguage
Polish Pensylwańczyk, Pensylwanka
- PensylwańczykPeople of Pennsylvania German origin
- PensylwankaPeople of Pennsylvania German origin
- język pensylwańskilanguage
Cite this entry
Pennsylvania Dutch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pennsylvania%20Dutch
“Pennsylvania Dutch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pennsylvania%20Dutch. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pennsylvania Dutch,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pennsylvania%20Dutch.
Source: Pennsylvania Dutch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.