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zwieback

noun
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zwie·​back | \ ˈswē-ˌbak How to pronounce zwieback (audio) , ˈswī-, ˈzwē-, ˈzwī- How to pronounce zwieback (audio) , -ˌbäk \

Definition of zwieback

: a usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp

Crunch on the History of Zwieback

In ages past, keeping food fresh for any length of time required a lot of ingenuity, especially when one needed to carry comestibles on a long journey. One of the solutions people came up with for keeping bread edible for traveling was to bake it twice, thereby drying it and slowing the spoiling process. The etymology of zwieback reflects this baker's trick; it was borrowed from a German word that literally means "twice baked." Nowadays, zwieback is not just used as a foodstuff—the texture of the dried bread makes zwieback a suitable teething device for infants. Incidentally, other twice-baked goods whose origins reflect that fact include biscuit and biscotti, both of which come from phrases meaning "twice-cooked bread."

First Known Use of zwieback

1863, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for zwieback

German, literally, twice baked, from zwie- twice (from Old High German zwi-) + backen to bake, from Old High German bahhan — more at twi-, bake

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The first known use of zwieback was in 1863

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Cite this Entry

“Zwieback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zwieback. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for zwieback

zwieback

noun
How to pronounce zwieback (audio) How to pronounce zwieback (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of zwieback

US : a dry, hard bread that is eaten especially by young children

See the full definition for zwieback in the English Language Learners Dictionary

zwieback

noun
zwie·​back | \ ˈswē-ˌbak How to pronounce zwieback (audio) , ˈswī- \

Kids Definition of zwieback

: a usually sweetened bread made with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp

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