kvetch
[ kvech ]
/ kvɛtʃ /
verb (used without object)
to complain, especially chronically.
noun
Also kvetch·er. a person who kvetches.
Nearby words
- kvaløy,
- kvass,
- kveim antigen,
- kveim test,
- kvell,
- kvetchy,
- kw,
- kwa,
- kwacha,
- kwaiken
Origin of kvetch
1960–65, Americanism; < Yiddish kvetshn literally, to squeeze, pinch; compare Middle High German, German quetschen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for kvetch
I take some pleasure in watching conservatives squirm and kvetch.
British Dictionary definitions for kvetch
kvetch
/ (kvɛtʃ) /
verb
(intr) slang, mainly US to complain or grumble, esp incessantly
Word Origin for kvetch
C20: from Yiddish kvetshn, literally: to squeeze, press
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for kvetch
kvetch
"to complain, whine," 1953 (implied in kvetching), from Yiddish kvetshn, literally "squeeze, press," from German quetsche "crusher, presser." As a noun, from 1936 as a term of abuse for a person.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper