Schweizer

Borrowed from German Schweizer (“Swiss person”). Doublet of Switzer.

Schweizer (plural Schweizer)

1. A surname from German.

From Middle High German swīzer. Equivalent to Schweiz +‎ -er. The senses "doorman" and "milker" arose because Swiss people were commonly employed in Germany in those professions; the sense "sacristan" arose because sacristans' garb resembled that of the Swiss Guards. For the sense development compare also French Suisse (“Swiss”) : suisse (“doorman”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃvaɪ̯t͡sɐ/

• Audio

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Schweizer m (strong, genitive Schweizers, plural Schweizer)

1. Swiss person
2. Swiss Guard
3. milker, person who milks cows
4. (Catholicism) sacristan

   Synonym: Küster

5. doorman

• Schweizerin

• → English: Schweizer
• → Polish: szwajcar, Szwajcar
  • Ukrainian: швайца́р (švajcár)
• → Romanian: șvaițer
• → Russian: швейца́р (švejcár, “doorman, Swiss man (dated)”) (possibly via Polish), швейца́рец (švejcárec, “Swiss man”)
  • Armenian: շվեյցար (šveycʿar)
  • Bashkir: швейцар (şveytsar)
  • Belarusian: швейцар (švjejcar)
  • Chuvash: швейцар (švejtsar)
  • Estonian: šveitser
  • Georgian: შვეიცარი (šveicari)
  • Kazakh: швейцар (şveisar)
  • Kyrgyz: швейцар (şveytsar)
  • Latvian: šveicars
  • Ossetian: швейца́р (švejcár)
  • Tatar: швейцар (şweytsar)
  • Ukrainian: швейца́р (švejcár)

Schweizer m or f (proper noun, surname, masculine genitive Schweizers or (with an article) Schweizer, feminine genitive Schweizer, plural Schweizers or Schweizer)

1. a surname

Schweizer (indeclinable, no predicative form)

1. (relational) of Switzerland

• Words like this are indeclinable adjectives in modern German, as noted by the Duden, DWDS and other modern references. They originated as genitive plurals of substantives, as noted by 18th century grammarian Johann Christoph Adelung and 19th century linguist Hermann Möller: e.g. Berliner Pfannkuchen = Pfannkuchen der Berliner = "pancake of the Berliners". See -er.

• “Schweizer” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Schweizer” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Schweizer” in Duden online
• Schweizer on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃvaɪ̯t͡sɐ/

Schweizer m (plural Schweizer, feminine Schweizrin)

1. Swiss person

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Unadapted borrowing from German Schweizer.

Schweizer m or f by sense

1. a surname from German