Pennsylvania Dutch

noun

the descendants of 17th- and 18th-century settlers in Pennsylvania from southwest Germany and Switzerland.
Also called Pennsylvania German. a dialect of High German with an admixture of English spoken mainly in eastern Pennsylvania, developed from the language of these settlers.
the folk style of applied and decorative art developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Origin of Pennsylvania Dutch

First recorded in 1815–25

OTHER WORDS FROM Pennsylvania Dutch

Penn·syl·va·nia-Dutch, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for pennsylvania dutch

  • He swore in Pennsylvania-Dutch, and again demanded my explanation, which I firmly declined to give.

    The Boy Spy |Joseph Kerby

British Dictionary definitions for pennsylvania dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

noun

Also called: Pennsylvania German a dialect of German spoken in E Pennsylvania
the Pennsylvania Dutch (functioning as plural) a group of German-speaking people in E Pennsylvania, descended from 18th-century settlers from SW Germany and Switzerland

Cultural definitions for pennsylvania dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

The German and Swiss settlers of Pennsylvania in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their descendants. “Dutch” is a version of the German Deutsch, meaning “German.” The Pennsylvania Dutch are known for their tidy farms and their distinctive crafts and customs. A considerable number of them belong to strict religious denominations, such as the Amish.