*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of putz

Borrowed from Yiddish פּאָץ (pots, “penis, fool”); compare similar semantic developments in futz.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To waste time.

noun

A fool, an idiot. · A jerk. · The penis.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Yiddish פּאָץ (pots, “penis, fool”); compare similar semantic developments in futz.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "פּאָץ",
        "4": "",
        "5": "penis, fool"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Yiddish פּאָץ (pots, “penis, fool”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "פּאָץ",
      "פּאָץ#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "futz",
      "futz#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To waste time."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "526f2b4263e2cd3007e82414aab913d1c14d4c6ad7e3566a685420cca47f194b",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 390059
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A fool, an idiot.",
        "A jerk.",
        "The penis."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "ed295c76d8840009f937475520b1c78c21d3aa82eb28eae51737bc055ee47a26",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A decoration or ornament in the Nativity tradition, usually placed under a Christmas tree.

verb

To go around viewing the putzes in the neighborhood.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Pennsylvania German Putz; compare German Putz (“ornament, decoration, finery”), putzen (“to clean; decorate”). Compare the above.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionPutzpdc
  • Cognate mentionPutzde
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pdc",
        "3": "Putz"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Pennsylvania German Putz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Putz",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ornament, decoration, finery"
      },
      "expansion": "German Putz (“ornament, decoration, finery”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Putz",
      "Putz#Pennsylvania_German"
    ],
    [
      "Putz",
      "Putz#German"
    ],
    [
      "putzen",
      "putzen#German"
    ],
    [
      "the above",
      "#Etymology_1"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A decoration or ornament in the Nativity tradition, usually placed under a Christmas tree."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To go around viewing the putzes in the neighborhood."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Pennsylvania",
        "US",
        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for putz →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cHV0eg