Is 'kitsch' English, or is it actually German?

'Kitsch' is a word borrowed from German 'Kitsch'. The word entered the English language some time around 1925.

kitsch [noun] [1925]

• something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality
• a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition

See 'kitsch' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from German.

note: From German Kitsch from dialectal kitschen (“to coat to smear”): the word and concept were popularized in the 1930s by several critics who contrasted it with avant garde art.
Etymology: German

See more loan words from 1920s.