verklempt

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Pronunciations

verklempt (ver-KLEMPT) listen

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Definitions

  • adj. Overly emotional, choked up; speechless; unable to express one's feelings/emotions.

  • adj. Anxious, worried.

Example Sentences

  • "I'm a little verklempt. Give me a second."

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • פֿאַרקלעמט farklemt 'depressed'

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      verklemmt, varklemt, ferklemt, farklemt, verklemt, varklempt, ferklempt, farklempt

Notes

  • Popularized by Mike Myers in Saturday Night Live's Coffee Talk with Linda Richman

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