kvell

verb

ˈkvel

kvelled; kvelling; kvells

Synonyms of kvell next

intransitive verb

: to be extraordinarily proud : rejoice

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Kvell Has Yiddish Origins

Kvell comes from Yiddish kveln, meaning "to be delighted," which, in turn, comes from the Middle High German word quellen, meaning "to well, gush, or swell." Yiddish has been a wellspring of creativity for English, giving us such delightful words as meister ("one who is knowledgeable about something"), maven ("expert"), and shtick ("one's special activity"), just to name a few. The date for the appearance of kvell in the English language is tricky to pinpoint exactly. The earliest known printed evidence for the word in an English source is found in a 1952 handbook of Jewish words and expressions.

Examples of kvell in a Sentence

proud grandparents who kvell over every thing that their precious little darlings do

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Any fan of borscht will kvell at the idea of a beet latke. —