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kib·itz also kib·bitz

(kĭbĭts)

intr.v. kib·itzed, kib·itz·ing, kib·itz·es also kib·bitzed or kib·bitz·ing or kib·bitz·es
Informal

1. To chat; converse: "[They] are very reserved people and prefer not to kibitz with strangers" (Ann Marie Sabath).

2. To offer unwanted or meddlesome advice, such as that given by the spectator of a card game.

[Yiddish kibitsen, from German kiebitzen, from Rotwelsch (German underground argot) kibitschen, to search (a prisoner), inspect, of unknown origin.]

kibitz·er n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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