Smeer

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To spread or daub a greasy or sticky substance over a surface, as in an older or regional usage of smearing
2. Describing the act of coating something with grease, ointment or a similar gummy material by rubbing it on
3. Rubbing a sticky or oily substance onto a surface until it covers it, a dialect form of the verb smear

Etymology: "Smeer" is a Dutch word meaning grease or lard, and it is not an English word at all, though it may look like one. Its English relative is "smear", which comes from Old English "smerian" meaning to rub or daub with grease or ointment. The original sense is physical and greasy: to coat something with a fatty substance. The Old English word is related to the Dutch "smeren" (to grease or butter), and both trace back to a Germanic root for fat and rubbing. The English verb "smear" kept the greasy sense for centuries before its meaning widened to include spreading any sticky or dirty substance, and later, figuratively, to damaging someone's reputation with false accusations, which is the sense most English speakers know today.