kvell

American  

[kvel] / kvɛl /

verb (used without object)

Slang.

1. to be extraordinarily pleased; especially, to be bursting with pride, as over one's family.

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kvell British  

/ kvɛl /

verb

1. informal (intr) to be happy or show satisfaction

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Etymology

Origin of kvell

An Americanism first recorded in 1965–70; from Yiddish kveln “be delighted”; compare Middle High German, German quellen “well up, gush”

Explanation

To kvell is to burst with pride, especially on behalf of someone else. If you win the school spelling bee, your parents will kvell, telling all their friends about your success. Kvell is just one of hundreds of Yiddish words that are commonly used in English. It derives from a Germanic root meaning "swell or well up." If you've ever had a grandma, favorite teacher, or best friend be so incredibly proud of you that they seem to overflow with delight, you know what it means to kvell.

Example Sentences

We can only kvell that one of the world’s greatest writers has picked Los Angeles, after visiting almost every habitable spot on Earth, to make his home.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2023

Karin Fuchs, a clinical psychologist in the United Kingdom has also been hearing her immigrant parents kvell at the history they see being revisited.

From Washington Post • Feb. 28, 2022

It’s heartening, therefore, to hear Youner kvell about her new friend, Shirley Zweibel, 87.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2017

It’s heartening, therefore, to hear Ms. Youner kvell about her new friend, Shirley Zweibel, 87.

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2016

It turned out to be the perfect place to marvel and kvell and lament and celebrate my life since I left Chicago, not quite 30 momentous years ago.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2013