zwieback

American  

[zwahy-bak, -bahk, zwee-, swahy-, swee-, tsvee-bahk] / ˈzwaɪˌbæk, -ˌbɑk, ˈzwi-, ˈswaɪ-, ˈswi-, ˈtsviˌbɑk /

noun

1. a special egg bread made into rusks.

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zwieback British  

/ ˈtsviːbak, ˈzwiː-, ˈzwaɪˌbæk /

noun

1. a small type of rusk, which has been baked first as a loaf, then sliced and toasted, usually bought ready-made

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Etymology

Origin of zwieback

1890–95, < German: twice-baked, equivalent to zwie twice + backen to bake. See twi-, bake; cf. biscuit

Explanation

Zwieback is a dry, crunchy baked good that's commonly eaten by Europeans. In North America, zwieback is often given to babies, who can safely gnaw on it with their gums. This word comes from the German Zweiback, which literally means "twice-baked," but is commonly used to mean "biscuit." The equivalent Italian word, biscotti, may be familiar if you spend a lot of time in coffee shops, but zwieback is less common in the U.S. These sweet, brittle cookies are made (just as the root implies) by baking the dough twice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zwieback

On a diet of zwieback, Lasik sits in a druggist's window advertising the shocking effects of not drinking cod liver oil; later he understudies for a circus monkey.

From Time Magazine Archive

He rose promptly at seven o'clock each morning, put on his brown uniform, breakfasted on fruit, zwieback and a glass of milk.

From Time Magazine Archive

"You smart thing," she says, "have a zwieback."

From Time Magazine Archive

Prudence Penny, the New York Mirror's cooking columnist, was teaching readers how to make rum pie with zwieback crust.

From Time Magazine Archive

Very stale bread, or two pieces of zwieback.

From The Care and Feeding of Children A Catechism for the Use of Mothers and Children's Nurses by Holt, L. Emmett