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definitions

kvetch

[ kvech ]
/ kvɛtʃ /
Slang.
|
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verb (used without object)

to complain, especially chronically.

noun

Also kvetch·er. a person who kvetches.

RELATED WORDS

moan, squawk, nag, carp, grumble, mutter, murmur, fuss, groan, gripe, bellyache, grouse, whine, yawp, crab, grouch, yammer, pule, scold, snivel

Nearby words

  1. kvaløy,
  2. kvass,
  3. kveim antigen,
  4. kveim test,
  5. kvell,
  6. kvetchy,
  7. kw,
  8. kwa,
  9. kwacha,
  10. 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

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for kvetch

kvetch

v.

"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