wühlen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German wüelen, from Old High German wuolen, from Proto-Germanic *wōlijaną (“to ruin, destroy”). Cognate with Luxembourgish wullen, Vilamovian wiła, Dutch woelen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvyːlən/, [ˈvyːl̩n]
• Hyphenation: wüh‧len

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

1. to rummage, to grub
2. to dig, to burrow, to tunnel
3. (figuratively, politics) to agitate

Derived terms

• aufwühlen
• Wühler
• Wühlmaus
• Wühltisch

Further reading

• “wühlen” in Duden online