snivel
To breathe heavily through the nose while it is congested with nasal mucusTo breathe heavily through the nose while it is congested with nasal mucus.
Meaning
3 senses(intransitive)To breathe heavily through the nose while it is congested with nasal mucus.
1794, Erasmus Darwin, Zoonomia, London: J. Johnson, Volume 1, Section 16, Subsection 2, p. 149, […] in severe frosty weather, snivelling and tears are produced by the coldness and dryness of the air.
tief einatmen, schniefen
сопе́тьsopétʹ, шмы́гатьšmýgatʹ
snuff up mucus through the nose
(derogatory, intransitive)To cry while sniffling; to whine or complain while crying.
schniefen, schluchzen, flennen
нытьnytʹ, хны́катьxnýkatʹ
cry or whine with snuffling
(derogatory, transitive)To say (something) while sniffling or crying.
Examples
2 sentencesStop sniveling, Tom.
ruХватит ныть, Том. — Svetislava
I assure you this house with no other occupant but that sniveling woman is a miserable place.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English snivelen, snevelen, snyvelen, snuvelen, from Old English *snyflan (attFrom Middle English snivelen, snevelen, snyvelen, snuvelen, from Old English *snyflan (attested in the verbal noun snyflung (“mucus”)), from Proto-West Germanic *snuflijan, related to Old English snofl (“mucus”), ultimately from the root of snout. Akin to sniff, snuff. Compare sniffle.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
snivels, sniveling, sniveled, sniveledSynonyms
5 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.