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dutch

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Dutch¹

  • /dʌt͡ʃ/
  • /dʊt͡ʃ/ Ireland, Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌtʃ

Where it comes from

PIE word

*tewtéh₂

From Middle English Duch (“German, Low German, Dutch”), from Middle Low German dütsch, düdesch (“German, Low German, Dutch”) and Middle Dutch dūtsch, dūtsc (“German, Low German, Dutch”), from Proto-West Germanic *þiudisk, from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz (“of one’s people”), derived from *þeudō (“people”), from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂. Doublet of Deutsch and Doitsu.

Compare Middle English thedisch (“native, endemic”) from Old English þēodisċ (“of one’s people”), Old Saxon thiudisk (German Low German düütsch (“German”)), Old High German diutisc (modern German deutsch (“German”)), modern Dutch Duits (“German”) alongside elevated Diets (“Dutch”) (a secondary distinction, fully accepted only in the 19th century). See also Derrick, Teuton, Teutonic.

The pejorative senses (Dutch courage, Dutch wife, Dutch uncle, etc.) are said to stem from the Anglo-Dutch Wars and the accompanying rivalry.

adjective more Dutch · Dutcher · most Dutch · Dutchest · Du.

  1. Of or pertaining to the Netherlands, the Dutch people or the Dutch language.
  2. archaic Pertaining to Germanic-speaking peoples on the European continent, chiefly the Germans (especially established German-speaking communities in parts of the USA), or the Dutch; Teutonic; Germanic.
  3. archaic, derogatory, obsolete Substitute, inferior, ersatz.
  4. dated Thrifty.
  5. South Africa, derogatory, ethnic, slur Pertaining to Afrikaner culture (Cape Dutch).

proper noun Du.

  1. The main language of the Netherlands, Flanders (i.e., the northern half of Belgium) and Suriname; Netherlandic. By the time this mysterious knight died in the 1360s, his book was available in every European language, including Dutch, Gaelic, Czech, Catalan, and Walloon.
  2. archaic German; the main language of the Holy Roman Empire (Germany, Austria, Alsace, Luxembourg).
  3. A male given name, more often given as a nickname to someone of Dutch or German ancestry than as an official given name.

    Similar: Netherlandic, Netherlandish

noun Du.

  1. collective, plural, plural only The people of the Netherlands, or one of certain ethnic groups descending from the people of the Netherlands. The Dutch will vote on the matter next month.
  2. South Africa, collective, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, plural Afrikaner people (Cape Dutch).
  3. collective, plural, plural only The Pennsylvania Dutch people.

noun Du.

  1. dated, uncountable Synonym of double Dutch (“incomprehensible language or speech”). “Queer language, that, sir,” said the officer. “It was Dutch to me.”

    Similar: double Dutch

verb Dutches · Dutching · Dutched · Du.

  1. To treat cocoa beans or powder with an alkali solution to darken the color and lessen the bitterness of the flavor. Dutch processed is made from cocoa beans that have been treated with an alkalized solution. You'll get a deeper color and a great chocolaty flavor, but more importantly, the process of Dutching the chocolate renders the powder neutral.

dutch²

  • /dʌt͡ʃ/

Rhymes with -ʌtʃ

Where it comes from

Clipping of duchess.

noun dutches

  1. slang wife

dutch³

  • /dʌt͡ʃ/

Rhymes with -ʌtʃ

Where it comes from

See Dutch.

verb dutches · dutching · dutched

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Dutch (“treat cocoa with alkali”). Natural cocoa has not been "dutched". I actually prefer the natural, but if you use it, be sure to increase the baking soda to compensate for the additional acid.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: dutchman, netherlands, danish, german, spanish, antilles, holland, low, ned, gaston, german-speaking, hollande, nederland, nederlands, pays-bas, netherlander

Translations

Every language

adj of the Netherlands, people, or language

Españolneerlandés, holandés
한국어네덜란드의 Nedeollandeu-ui
日本語オランダの Oranda no, 蘭
中文荷蘭的 /荷兰的 Hélán de
हिन्दीडच ḍac, ओलंदेजी olandejī, ओलन्देजी olandejī, ओलंदेज olandej, ओलन्देज olandej, ओलंदेज़ olandez
Kiswahilikiholanzi
Portuguêsholandês, neerlandês, batavo
Françaisnéerlandais, hollandais
Deutschniederländisch, holländisch
Italianoolandese
Ελληνικάολλανδικός ollandikós
Românăolandez, neerlandez
Русскийголла́ндский gollándskij, нидерла́ндский niderlándskij
Tiếng ViệtHà Lan
العربيةهُولَنْدِيّ hūlandiyy

name the Dutch language

Españolneerlandés, holandés
한국어네덜란드어 Nedeollandeueo
日本語オランダ語 Oranda-go, 蘭語 Rango
中文荷蘭語 /荷兰语 hélányǔ
हिन्दीडच ḍac
KiswahiliKiholanzi
Portuguêsholandês, neerlandês, batavo
Françaisnéerlandais, hollandais
DeutschNiederländisch, Holländisch
Italianonederlandese, olandese
Ελληνικάολλανδικά ollandiká
Românăneerlandeză, olandeză, limba olandeză
Русскийголла́ндский gollándskij, нидерла́ндский niderlándskij
Tiếng Việttiếng Hà Lan
العربيةهُولَنْدِيَّة hūlandiyya
עבריתהולנדית holandít

noun people from the Netherlands

Españolholandeses, neerlandeses
한국어네덜란드인 nedeollandeu'in, 네덜란드 사람 nedeollandeu saram
日本語オランダ人 Oranda-jin
中文荷蘭人 /荷兰人 Hélán-rén
हिन्दीडच ḍac, ओलंदेज olandej, ओलन्देज olandej, ओलंदेज़ olandez, ओलन्देज़ olandez, ओलन्देजी olandejī
Portuguêsholandeses, neerlandeses
FrançaisNéerlandais, Hollandais
DeutschNiederländer, Holländer
Italianoolandesi, neerlandesi
ΕλληνικάΟλλανδοί Ollandoí
Românăolandezi
Русскийголла́ндцы gollándcy, нидерла́ндцы niderlándcy
Tiếng Việtngười Hà Lan
العربيةهُولَنْدِيُّون hūlandiyyūn, هُولَنْدِيَّات hūlandiyyāt

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MLA

"dutch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dutch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dutch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dutch

Chicago

"dutch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dutch.

BibTeX
@misc{dutch_2026,
  title = {dutch},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dutch},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}