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Picture of Kalleh
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I read an article today about the editor who is leaving Glamour Magazine, and she said "I am sure I will be, in my grandmother's words, 'highly verklempt'." I had to look it up. It's a Yiddish word (love them!) for being overwhelmed by emotion. Have you heard it before? What English word might be the nearest to it?
 
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The Yiddish is פֿאַרקלעמט (farklemt), related to German verklemmt "inhibited, uptight". German klemmen "to pinch" is cognate with English clamp.

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This dictionary say farklemt is "depressed, distraught; choked up, extremely emotional, on the verge of tears; grieving" and klemen is "to grieve".

http://yiddishdictionaryonline.com
 
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Picture of Kalleh
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Here is the Grammarist on it. Clearly the writer's grandmother was using it to mean overwhelmed by emotion.
 
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Picture of arnie
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quote:
What English word might be the nearest to it?

How about "distraught"?


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
 
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Or maybe one of these ("overwrought" is my choice).

1. agitated
2. overwrought
3. dismayed
4. despairing
5. distressed
6. upset
7. troubled
8 disconsolate
9. bereft

 
 
 
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I suppose, but are any of those passionate enough in tone?
 
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