schmunzeln

German

Etymology

From Late Middle High German schmuntzelen, smonczeln (15th c.), diminutive-iterative of smunzen, nasalized byform of smutzen (ca. 1300), all meaning “to smile, laugh slightly”. Further origin unknown.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʃmʊntsəln/, [ˈʃmʊn.t͡sl̩n]
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)

Verb

schmunzeln (weak, third-person singular present schmunzelt, past tense schmunzelte, past participle geschmunzelt, auxiliary haben)

  1. to smile slightly, smirk (not smugly, but in an amused or contented way; e.g. when witnessing an amusing scene or conversation)

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading