zwiebeln

17th century, from Zwiebel (“onion”) +‎ -n. Some of the early attestations suggest that the underlying notion is that of a gradual ridding or wearing down, thus based on the way onions can be peeled layer by layer. Alternatively it might be from the sharpness to the taste and the irritancy to the eyes.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtsviːbəln/, [ˈt͡sʋiː.bl̩n]

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zwiebeln (weak, third-person singular present zwiebelt, past tense zwiebelte, past participle gezwiebelt, auxiliary haben)

1. (informal, transitive) to hassle, harass, bully, torment

   Synonyms: schikanieren, piesacken, peinigen, quälen

2. (informal, intransitive) to hurt, be painful (mostly of sharp, relatively sudden pain)

   Synonyms: wehtun, schmerzen, ziehen, stechen, beißen