schniefen

• schnieben (dated)

First attested in the 17th century as schnieben, a Central German variant of schnauben. The form with f is analogous to schnaufen, which compare.

In spite of the late attestation, the form may be very old and continue the eu-variant of Proto-Germanic *sneufaną ~ *snūfaną (compare for this variation kriechen ~ krauchen). An alternative theory considers it a backformation from the strong past tense schnob, geschnoben by analogy with verbs of the class fliegen, flog, geflogen etc.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃniːfən/

• Audio (Germany):

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schniefen (weak, third-person singular present schnieft, past tense schniefte, past participle geschnieft, auxiliary haben)

1. (usually intransitive) to sniff up snot through the nose

   Synonym: die Nase hochziehen

2. (intransitive) to make a sound similar to the above as an expression of sadness or pity
3. (usually transitive) to sniff (drugs)