kvell

Glow with pride

Kvell is a Yiddish-derived verb meaning to feel intense pride or joy, especially in someone else's accomplishments—typically one's children or grandchildren.

It suggests a warm, bursting-with-pride feeling that demands expression: She kvelled over her daughter's graduation speech.

The word remains most common among Jewish Americans but has spread into broader use.

Yiddish

mazel

Fortune or destiny

bubbeGrandmother, in Yiddish
menschPerson of noble character
tsurisWorries and woes

simcha · zaftig · landsman

pride

beam

Structural support member

glowSteady, soft light
radiateSend forth rays
swellIncrease in size

burst · overflow · exult · rejoice · triumph · glory · satisfaction · fulfillment · accomplishment · achievement

parental

pride

Satisfaction from one's achievements

beamStructural support member
gushFlow out forcefully
overflowExceed capacity and spill

brag · boast · crow · exult · rejoice · glory · triumph · radiate · swell · burst

expression

beam

Structural support member

glowSteady, soft light
radiateSend forth rays
shineEmit or reflect light

gleam · sparkle · light up · brighten · smile · grin · flush · blush · tear up · well up

Opposites

emotional response to another's achievement/state

kvellbe ashamed

Experience self-directed humiliation

cringe · grieve · lament · despair · regret

outward emotional expression

kvellweep

Shed tears emotionally

bemoan · bewail · mourn · grieve · lament

Family

kvetch, kvells, kvelled, kvelling

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