German edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ˈkiːfl̩n]
  • Hyphenation: kie‧feln

Verb edit

kiefeln (weak, third-person singular present kiefelt, past tense kiefelte, past participle gekiefelt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (Austria, intransitive) to nibble, to gnaw at/on something
    Synonyms: nagen, anknabbern
  2. (Austria, intransitive, figuratively) to rack one's brain over something
    Synonyms: brüten, herumkiefeln, nagen
    Sie kiefelt seit gestern an dieser Aufgabe.She has been racking her brains over this task since yesterday..

Conjugation edit

Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

  • kiefeln” in Duden online
  • kiefeln” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache