zwiebeln

Meaning

1. (informal, transitive, weak) to hassle, harass, bully, torment
2. (informal, intransitive, weak) to hurt, be painful (mostly of sharp, relatively sudden pain)

Concepts

anguish

beset

harrow

torment

Synonyms

drangsalieren

foltern

piesacken

quälen

Translations

كرب

ossessionare

lacerare

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtsviːbəln/

Etymology

17th century, from Zwiebel (“onion”) + -n. Some of the early attestations suggest that the underlying notion is that of a gradual ridding or wearing down, thus based on the way onions can be peeled layer by layer. Alternatively it might be from the sharpness to the taste and the irritancy to the eyes.