heucheln

German

Etymology

Spread by Luther; origin unsettled. Probably from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Low German hüchelen (whence Danish hykle), which may be akin to Old English hiwian. Older theories are based on Central German origin and relate the word to either hauchen (“to aspirate, to whisper”) or hocken (“to be bowed, to sit”). Compare Dutch huichelen (borrowed from German).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɔʏ̯çəln/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

1. to feign (friendship, morality, etc.); to be hypocritical

Derived terms

• Heuchelei
• Heuchler

Descendants

• → Dutch: huichelen

Further reading

• “heucheln” in Duden online