So is ''swarthy'' politically incorrect term nowadays?

[Nobody]

@Daithi Lacha

Hmmm… Swarthy is a varient of swart, and according to Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: **swart **
Pronunciation: 'swort
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English sweart; akin to Old High German swarz black, Latin sordes dirt

So there’s definitely a historical precedence for it meaning “black,” rather than “Mediterranean” or “Arabic,” and not in a nice sense, either.

Also of note, then, is that the word “sordid” is related. Sorry - Word Geek, here!

In the past it may have ment black, but nowadays it just means olive complected.

[Daithi_Lacha]

@Master Control

In the past it may have ment black, but nowadays it just means olive complected.

Indeed - I think the “black” component has well slipped from the standard usage.
As an amusing aside, and to show just how the word is now perceived, I asked my wife if she knew what swarthy meant. She said “It’s an adjective for a pirate, isn’t it?”