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sniveling

 - 3 dictionary results

sniv⋅el

  [sniv-uhl] verb, -eled, -el⋅ing or (especially British) -elled, -el⋅ling, noun
Use sniveling in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to weep or cry with sniffling.
2. to affect a tearful state; whine.
3. to run at the nose; have a runny nose: She sniveled from the cold.
4. to draw up mucus audibly through the nose: Stop sniveling and use your handkerchief.
–verb (used with object)
5. to utter with sniveling or sniffling.
–noun
6. weak, whining, or pretended weeping.
7. a light sniffle, as in weeping.
8. a hypocritical show of feeling: a sentimental snivel.
9. mucus running from the nose.
10. snivels, a sniveling condition; a slight cold; sniffles (usually prec. by the).
Origin:
1275–1325; ME snyvele; cf. OE snyflung (ger.), deriv. of snofl mucus; c. LG snüfeln

Related forms:
sniv⋅el⋅er; especially British, sniv⋅el⋅ler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sniveling
sniv·el   (snĭv'əl)   
intr.v.   sniv·eled or sniv·elled, sniv·el·ing or sniv·el·ling, sniv·els

  1. To sniffle.

  2. To complain or whine tearfully.

  3. To run at the nose.

n.  

  1. The act of sniffling or sniveling.

  2. Nasal mucus.


[Middle English snivelen, from Old English *snyflan.]
sniv'el·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

snivel 
O.E. *snyflan "to run at the nose" (cf. snyflung "running of the nose"), related to snofl "nasal mucus." Meaning "to be in an (affected) tearful state" is from 1690. Snivelling "mean-spirited, weak" is recorded from 1647; Melville coined snivelization (1849).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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