Wikipedia's first sentence called it “most often used in american english as a pejorative or insult”. Today it says “pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2015
Schmuck or shmuck in American English is a pejorative meaning one who is stupid or foolish; or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person.1The word entered English from Yiddish (שמאָק, shmok ), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but its original meaning in Yiddish is penis .2Because of its vulgarity, the word is euphemized as schmoe , which was the source of Al Capp 's cartoon strip creature the shmoo . Variants include schmo and shmo . In Jewish homes, the word was "regarded as so vulgar as to be taboo". Lenny Bruce , a Jewish standup comedian, wrote that the use of the word during his performances in 1962 led to his arrest on the West Coast "by a Yiddish undercover agent who had been placed in the club several nights running to determine if [his] use of Yiddish terms was a cover for profanity". The Joys of Yiddish . The New Joy of Yiddish .3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 665035597.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Shop sign in Passau , Germany Look up schmuck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Schmuck is most often used in American English as a pejorative or insult, meaning an obnoxious, contemptible person; one who is stupid, foolish, or detestable. Variants of spelling and alterations include shmuck , schmo and shmo . Schmuck entered English as a borrowed pejorative from the common Yiddish insult, where it is an obscene term for penis . Its etymology is uncertain. The Online Etymology Dictionary derives it from the Polish word smok for dragon , as a euphemism for "penis". In his book " How to Talk Dirty and Influence People ," standup comedian Lenny Bruce wrote that he was arrested "by a Yiddish undercover agent" for saying the word "schmuck" onstage. In German language the word refers to jewelry , a trinket or a brooch , but its etymology is unrelated to the Yiddish word. Coincidentally, the Yiddish word is borrowed into German too, however spoken and written 'Schmock'.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 369531013.
The opening as it stood in 2020 7 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Schmuck , or shmuck , is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person.The word came into the English language from Yiddish ( , shmok ), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 957117161.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish Schmuck , or shmuck , is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish ( , shmok ), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175728715.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish Schmuck , or shmuck , is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish (Yiddish: שמאָק , shmok ), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1278555220. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “most often used in american english as a pejorative or insult”. Today it says “pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
most often used in american english as a pejorative or insult
Now
pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
