cruller
UK[ˈkrʌlə]US[ˈkrʌlər]
n
A small, sweet cake of twisted or ring-shaped dough, fried until crisp.
Etymology
The word 'cruller' entered American English in the early 19th century from the Dutch word 'kruller', itself derived from the Middle Dutch 'crullen', meaning "to curl". This directly describes the cake's characteristic twisted, curled shape. The Dutch root is related to the English word "curl", both sharing a common Germanic ancestry. Thus, the word's journey from a descriptive Dutch verb to the name of a specific fried pastry in English illustrates a straightforward borrowing based on a visible physical attribute.
Analysis
The word is a loanword from Dutch, adopted as a single lexical unit. Its spelling and form were adapted into English without meaningful segmentation into productive English morphemes.
Examples
I picked up a chocolate-dipped cruller and a coffee for breakfast.
The bakery is famous for its light and airy crullers, which are a local specialty.
He prefers a simple glazed cruller over a frosted doughnut.