bagel
UK[ˈbeɪɡl̩]US[ˈbeɪɡəl]
n
a ring-shaped bread roll that is boiled before it is baked, giving it a dense, chewy texture.
Etymology
the word 'bagel' entered english from yiddish 'beygl', which itself derives from the austrian german 'beugel', meaning a ring or bracelet. the german term likely originates from the middle high german 'bouc', meaning 'ring' or 'coil', which is related to the old high german 'boug' and, ultimately, the proto-indo-european root bheug-, meaning 'to bend'. this etymological journey from the concept of bending to form a ring perfectly captures the bagel's iconic shape. the food item, along with its name, was brought to north america by ashkenazi jewish immigrants, where it became a mainstream culinary staple.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from yiddish, where it is spelled 'beygl'. it is not productively formed from morphemes within modern english spelling.
Examples
i like to have a toasted bagel with cream cheese for breakfast.
the new bakery downtown makes the best sesame seed bagels in the city.
he bought a dozen assorted bagels for the morning meeting.