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Kvell
KVELL • Verb
קוועל
Snappy Essence
To swell with immense, chest-puffing pride over someone else's accomplishments.
Nuance
Standard pride is internally quiet. Kvelling is a physical urge to tell the nearest stranger exactly what happened. Emotional empathy on overdrive.
Pro-Pronunciation Tip
Rhymes perfectly with 'swell' or 'bell'. Just bite your lower lip slightly on the 'V' sound to give it some proper theater.
Linguistic Note (YIVO)
Standard YIVO transliteration: kveln
Etymology: From Middle High German quellen (to well up, gush). Infinitive kveln; the English form drops the final -n.
Examples in the wild
Classic
"I am kvelling over Sarah getting her residency at Mount Sinai."
Modern Yinglish
"Our startup just closed a seed round on our first pitch. Absolute kvell moment."
Mishegas Meter2/10