Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A usually sweetened bread first baked as a loaf and later cut into slices and toasted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Slices of bread made from a rich dough, which have been heated in an oven until they are thoroughly dried and are of a deep yellow color.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A kind of biscuit or rusk first baked in a loaf and afterwards cut and toasted.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp
  • noun a teething food for toddler children

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun slice of sweet raised bread baked again until it is brown and hard and crisp

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German : zwie-, twice (from Middle High German zwi-, from Old High German; see dwo- in Indo-European roots) + backen, to bake (from Middle High German, from Old High German bahhan, backan).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From German Zwieback, from zwie- "twi-" + backen "bake" (twice-baked), a calque of Italian biscotto.

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Examples

  • Carefully made toast, "zwieback," and stale bread may be given to young children.

    School and Home Cooking Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer

  • Beginning at the beginning and learning from the ground up was a long course for Bibbs at the sanitarium, with milk and "zwieback" as the basis of instruction; and the months were many and tiresome before he was considered near enough graduation to go for a walk leaning on a nurse and a cane.

    The Turmoil 1915

  • But Beethoven was intellectually brought up on Enlightenment zwieback, and while his curiosity kept him current with the likes of Schiller and Schlegel and Fichte and Herder, he always kept Immanuel Kant, the defender of rationalism as a particular light.

    Archive 2009-09-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2009

  • But Beethoven was intellectually brought up on Enlightenment zwieback, and while his curiosity kept him current with the likes of Schiller and Schlegel and Fichte and Herder, he always kept Immanuel Kant, the defender of rationalism as a particular light.

    Logical conclusions Matthew Guerrieri 2009

  • She smelled like sweat and powder and wet zwieback.

    DIAMOND RUBY Joseph Wallace 2010

  • He can probably eat crusts of toast, zwieback, baby cookies, whatever, to get him used to the idea of solids.

    How To Feed A Baby And Not Lose Consciousness Trying | Her Bad Mother 2008

  • She smelled like sweat and powder and wet zwieback.

    DIAMOND RUBY Joseph Wallace 2010

  • She smelled like sweat and powder and wet zwieback.

    DIAMOND RUBY Joseph Wallace 2010

  • Duh, “zwieback,” shudda knowed it were 2 sumfings…I only tukked a semester of Choimin in gradumicationary skul.

    You had a baby. - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2008

  • He can probably eat crusts of toast, zwieback, baby cookies, whatever, to get him used to the idea of solids.

    How To Feed A Baby And Not Lose Consciousness Trying 2008

Comments

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  • zwieback a twice-baked (atleast)word

    January 14, 2007

  • The Zwieback Motel is also mentioned in the Dr. Seuss Sleep Book.

    February 11, 2007