zwicken

See also: Zwicken

German

Etymology

From Middle High German zwicken (to fasten with nails, squeeze in, pinch, tug), Old High German *zwicchēn, from Proto-West Germanic *twikkijan (to nail, pin, fasten, clasp, pinch). Cognate with Middle English twicchen (whence English twitch), Low German twikken.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈt͡svɪkən/, [ˈt͡svɪkŋ̩] (Germany)
    • Audio:(file)(Germany)
  • IPA(key): /ˈt͡svɪkɛn/, [ˈt͡svɪkŋ̩] (Austria, South German, Switzerland)
  • Hyphenation: zwi‧cken

Verb

zwicken (weak, third-person singular present zwickt, past tense zwickte, past participle gezwickt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive) to pinch
    Synonym: kneifen
    Hör auf, mich zu zwicken!Stop pinching me!
  2. (intransitive) to be tight (of a piece of garment)
    Synonym: spannen
    Die Hose muss eingelaufen sein, die zwickt ganz schön.These trousers must have shrunk, they're pretty tight.

Usage notes

Zwicken in the sense of to pinch and synonymous kneifen are common throughout the German language area, zwicken is, however, preferrably used in southern regions and kneifen in central and northern regions.

Conjugation

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Polish: ćwiczyć

Further reading