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katzenjammer

[ kat-suhn-jam-er ]
/ ˈkæt sənˌdʒæm ər /

noun

the discomfort and illness experienced as the aftereffects of excessive drinking; hangover.
uneasiness; anguish; distress.
uproar; clamor: His speech produced a public katzenjammer.

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Origin of katzenjammer

From German: “hangover,” literally, “wailing of cats,” equivalent to Katzen (plural of Katze cat) + Jammer “discomfort,” Old High German jāmar (noun and adjective) “misery; sad”; cf. yammer;def. 1 was first recorded in 1840–50; and defs. 2 and 3 in 1895–1900

Words nearby katzenjammer

Katsina, Kattegat, Katy, katydid, Katz, katzenjammer, Kauai, kauch, Kauffmann, Kaufman, Kaukauna
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for katzenjammer

British Dictionary definitions for katzenjammer

katzenjammer
/ (ˈkætsənˌdʒæmə) /

noun mainly US

a confused uproar
a hangover

Word Origin for katzenjammer

German, literally: hangover, from Katzen cats + jammer misery, wailing
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012