pretzel en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mreǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *mréǵʰus Proto-Hellenic *brəkʰús Ancient Greek βρᾰχῠ́ς (brăkhŭ́s) Proto-Indo-European *-yōsder. Proto-Indo-European *-isō Proto-Hellenic *-ihō Ancient Greek -ῑ́ων (-ī́ōn) Ancient Greek βρᾰχῑ́ων (brăkhī́ōn)bor. Latin bracchium Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Latin brāchiātus Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellus Vulgar Latin *brāchiātellusbor. Old High German brēzitella Middle High German brēzel German Brezel German Pretzelbor. English pretzel From dialectal German Pretzel, a variant of standard Brezel, from Old High German brēzitella, from Vulgar Latin *brāchiātellus, diminutive of Latin brāchium, bracchium (“arm”); named for the appearance of folded arms.
Meanings
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A toasted bread or cracker usually in the shape of a loose knot.
Outside, the little birds on the telegraph wires looked in at the moving picture and smiled at one another. Some even wept. Then they flew down into the street and simply raved over a stale pretzel, ten days dead.
1918, Gelett Burgess, Ain't Angie Awful!, Chapter 8:When I was young, the best Philadelphia could do in the way of combining music and eating—or principally drinking—was at the Mäennerchor Garden at Ninth and Green, where a pretzel might be had with a glass of beer, or a sherry cobbler
1914, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, Our Philadelphia, Chapter 19:
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(broadly, figuratively) Anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled.
he drew himself up into a regular pretzel of a boy
1901, Alice Hegan Rice, Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch/Chapter 6, Chapter 6:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bretzel | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| pretzels | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| brezel | alternative, rare | lexicographic |
Deriveds
pretzel-bender · pretzel pillow · pretzel knot · pretzel style · pretzelize · pretzellike · get one's panties in a pretzel · pretzel link · pretzel syndrome · pretzelosity · minipretzel
Translations (77)
el κουλούρι (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · nl pretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fa-ira چوب شور (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · yi פּרעצל (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · pdt Kjrinjel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · no saltstang (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · bg гевре́к (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ar عُقْدِيَّة (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · it brezel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · cmn 鹽味卷餅 /盐味卷饼 (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · sv kringla (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fi hässäkkä (anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled) · sk praclík (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · hy բրեցել (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · hi प्रेट्ज़ल (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · lv kliņģeris (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ko 브레첼 (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru бу́блик (anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled) · et vesikringel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · hsb pracl (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ko 프레첼 (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fi solmu (anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled) · tr pretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · de Breze (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ro covrig (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · izh krinkeli (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · es pretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · hu perec (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · cmn 德國結 /德国结 (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · he בֵּיְגָּלֶה (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · pt pretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · eo krakeno (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · is kringla (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · lt riestainis (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · lb Bretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · es brezel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · sv pretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · sh пѐре̄ц (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · eo breco (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · sw pretseli (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru кре́ндель (anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled) · sl prẹ̑sta (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru кренделёк (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fi viipurinrinkeli (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · el μπρέτσελ (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fa-ira پِرِتْزِل (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru пре́цель (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · de Brezen (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · de Brezel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · cs preclík (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru бре́цель (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · pl precel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · yi בייגעלע (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · sh pèrēc (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · mk перек (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fi rinkeli (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · de Pretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · cmn 椒鹽捲餅 /椒盐卷饼 (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ar بْرِيتْزِل (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · lv ūdenskliņģeris (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · fr bretzel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · uk бре́цель (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru бара́нка (anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled) · da brezel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · be брэ́цаль (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · la brecellus (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · tr tuzlu simit (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ja プレッツェル (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · bg бре́цел (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · sv saltkringla (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · da saltkringle (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · dsb kryngel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ro covrigel (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · hsb bracl (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ru кре́ндель (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · he בייגלה (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot) · ka ბრეცელი (toasted bread or cracker in the shape of a knot)