שוויצן
shvitsn
The English word "sweating" is translated into Yiddish as שוויצן (shvitsn).
שוויצן refers to the bodily process of perspiration.
Meaning: bodily process (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The third person singular present tense form of שוויצן is שוויצט, which means "sweats" or "is sweating".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is shvitsn.
Did you know?
- In Yiddish, the act of שוויצן is often used as a metaphor for being 'grilled' or put on the spot during an intense questioning session.
- Yiddish distinguishes between the heat-induced שוויצן and various vivid terms for 'cold sweats' that describe fear or illness.
- The Yiddish word שוויצן shares the exact same Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'sweat', specifically the root *swoyd-.
Example conversation
Berl and Chana are walking home in the summer heat.
- חנה Chanaבערל, עס איז זייער הייס דרוסן!Berl, es iz zeyer hays drusn!Berl, it is very hot outside!
- בערל Berelיאָ, איך זע דאָס שוויצן אויף דיין שטרייף.Yo, ikh ze dos shvitsn oyf dayn shtrayf.Yes, I see the sweating on your forehead.
- חנה Chanaאיך דאַרף אַ ביסל וואסער.Ikh darf a bisl vaser.I need a little water.
- בערל Berelמיר וועלן טרינקען ווען מיר קומען אהיים.Mir veln trinken ven mir kumen aheym.We will drink when we get home.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry שוויצן, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries שוויצן, CC BY-SA 4.0.
