kvell

Pronunciations

kvell

(kvell)

Definitions

• v. Feel or express pride, "to be extraordinarily pleased." (JPS)
  

Example Sentences

• "I hear your daughter will be singing with the SF Opera! So you're kvelling, of course."
  

Languages of Origin

• Yiddish

Etymology

• קװעלן kveln 'to beam (at), be delighted (in)' (verbal stem is קװעל kvel)
  

Who Uses This

• Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
• Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
• Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)
• Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage
• View More

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).