gnocchi

Where does the word "gnocchi" come from? It comes from Italian nocchio, and was adopted directly into English (1891).

Gnocchi’s story begins in Italian: nocchio meant “a knot in wood.” A knot in wood, describing the small, knot-shaped dumplings. It reached English by 1891 as gnocchi. Italian 'lumps', possibly from 'nocchio', knot in wood. Today, gnocchi means small, soft Italian dumplings made from potato, flour, or semolina.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · medieval nocchio "a knot in wood", a knot in wood, describing the small, knot-shaped dumplings.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1891 gnocchi "small dumplings made from potato or flour", Italian 'lumps', possibly from 'nocchio', knot in wood.