The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Pennsylvania Dutch
NOUN:
1.(used with a pl. verb) The descendants of German and Swiss immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. 2. The dialect of High German spoken by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Also called Dutch, Pennsylvania German. 3. The style of folk art and decorative arts developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch.
ETYMOLOGY:
Alteration of German Deutsch, German. See Plattdeutsch.
