krekhts

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Pronunciations

krekhts (KREKHTS) listen

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Definitions

  • v. To groan, complain.

  • n. A complaint.

  • n. A Jewish vocal ornament used in klezmer music that produces a characteristic ‘sighing’ or ‘sobbing’ effect.

Example Sentences

  • "Stop krekhtsing about the work."

  • "Instrumentally, the krekhts is a false stopped note ornamenting the preceding main note it is tied to. This is unlike a classical grace-note which is tied to and played before the main note." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • קרעכצן‏‬ krekhtsn

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage
      • Klezmer musicians

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      kreks, krechts, krekhtz, krekhts, krekhtsn, krekhtsen, krechtsn, krechtsen, krekhz, krekhs, krechs, krechz

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