zwieback

/ˌswiˈbæk/

Other forms: zwiebacks

Zwieback is a dry, crunchy baked good that's commonly eaten by Europeans. In North America, zwieback is often given to babies, who can safely gnaw on it with their gums.

This word comes from the German Zweiback, which literally means "twice-baked," but is commonly used to mean "biscuit." The equivalent Italian word, biscotti, may be familiar if you spend a lot of time in coffee shops, but zwieback is less common in the U.S. These sweet, brittle cookies are made (just as the root implies) by baking the dough twice.

Definitions of zwieback

1. noun

   slice of sweet raised bread baked again until it is brown and hard and crisp
   synonyms: Brussels biscuit, rusk, twice-baked bread

   type of:

   toast

   slices of bread that have been toasted