Dictionary

pumpernickel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpʌmpɚˌnɪkl̩/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Westphalian German Pumpernickel, from Pumper (“fart”) (or a related form, such as pumpern) and Nickel (“rascal”) (from the male name Nikolaus (“Nicholas”)), possibly originating as an insult for a person or for the bread itself by outsiders. A false folk etymology claims that this comes from the phrase pain pour Nicole ("bread for Nicole"), referring to Napoleon disliking the taste so much that he thought it was fit for his horse Nicole.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A German sourdough bread made from rye.
   • There was a cut-crystal pitcher full of water, a basket of fruit, and a big loaf of pumpernickel for them to eat. 2016, Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad, Fleet (2017), page 309:

Forms

Coordinates

wheat bread · rye bread · white · white bread · rye · wheat

Hypernyms

bread · food

Synonyms

pumpernickel bread

Translations (5)

bg ръжен хляб (sourdough rye bread) · eo pumperniklo (sourdough rye bread) · pl pumpernikiel (sourdough rye bread) · it pan di segale (sourdough rye bread) · yi פּאָמפּערניקל (sourdough rye bread)

wikipedia: The Economist · wikidata: Q837207 · wikipedia: Napoleon