kvell

verb

ˈkvel 

kvelled; kvelling; kvells

intransitive verb

: to be extraordinarily proud : rejoice

Did you know?

Kvell Has Yiddish Origins

Kvell comes from Yiddish kveln, meaning "to be delighted," which, in turn, comes from the Middle High German word quellen, meaning "to well, gush, or swell." Yiddish has been a wellspring of creativity for English, giving us such delightful words as meister ("one who is knowledgeable about something"), maven ("expert"), and shtick ("one's special activity"), just to name a few. The date for the appearance of kvell in the English language is tricky to pinpoint exactly. The earliest known printed evidence for the word in an English source is found in a 1952 handbook of Jewish words and expressions.

Synonyms

• crow
• delight
• exuberate
• exult
• glory
• joy
• jubilate
• rejoice
• triumph

Examples of kvell in a Sentence

proud grandparents who kvell over every thing that their precious little darlings do

Recent Examples on the Web

Any fan of borscht will kvell at the idea of a beet latke. —Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Dec. 2022

Bonnie Winkelman, 62, was kvelling (gushing) over her Lhasa apso, Einstein. —Alix Strauss, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish kveln to be delighted, from Middle High German quellen to well, gush, swell

First Known Use

circa 1952, in the meaning defined above

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