schmiegte

Schmiegte is the simple past tense form (Präteritum) of the German verb schmiegen, which means to lie close, snuggle up, or nestle against someone or something, typically as a sign of affection or comfort. In modern standard German the present tense is schmiegen or schmiegt, and the past participle is geschmiegt. The Präteritum form schmiegte appears primarily in literary prose and regional dialects, where historical narration or stylistic writing employs older or more formal verb forms.

Usage in language follows the general sense of physical closeness and tenderness. Schmiegen describes an act of intimate contact, such as a person or animal pressing softly against another for warmth or reassurance. The construction is often reflexive, as in sich schmiegen, meaning to snuggle oneself against someone or something. Because it is somewhat literary or dialectal, schmiegte is less common in everyday spoken German today, but it is understood by speakers and appears in historical texts or stylistic narration.

Examples of usage include sentences like: Er schmiegte sich an ihren Arm. Sie schmiegte den Kopf gegen die Schulter des Freundes. In contemporary writing, the verb may be used to convey a gentle, affectionate closeness, sometimes with a nostalgic or pastoral tone.

Etymology traces schmiegte to the verb schmiegen, itself rooted in the Germanic family of words meaning to press closely or to nestle. The form survives mainly as a grammatical variant in literature and older regional speech. Related forms include the present schmiegen and the past participle geschmiegt.