nudel

Attested since 16th century, further origin unknown. Perhaps from a variant of Knödel, such as Silesian East Central German Knudel. The unusual loss of k- is apparently attested in West Flemish noedel (“dumpling”). If already Middle Dutch, such a dialectal form might have been brought to eastern Germany by Flemish settlers. (Standard Dutch noedel stems from the German.) An alternative theory derives it from Ladin menudli (“small piece of dough found in soup”), from Latin minutulus, diminutive of