cruller

Where does the word "cruller" come from? It comes from Dutch krullen, passing through Dutch before entering English (1808).

Cruller’s story begins in Dutch: krullen meant “to curl.” Verb meaning to curl, describing the pastry's twisted shape. Within Dutch, it grew into kruller by 1700s. Noun formed for the curled, fried cake itself. It reached English by 1808 as cruller. Brought to America by Dutch settlers and adopted into American English. Today, cruller means a small sweet cake of twisted dough, deep-fried.

1. Stage 1 · Dutch · medieval krullen "to curl", verb meaning to curl, describing the pastry's twisted shape.
2. Stage 2 · Dutch · 1700s kruller "a curled or twisted fried cake", noun formed for the curled, fried cake itself.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1808 cruller "a small sweet cake fried in twisted strips", brought to America by Dutch settlers and adopted into American English.