noodle

noodle · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mey-“little, small”
2. Latin · derived fromminutulus“very small, tiny”
3. Ladin · derived frommenùdli“small dough dumpling in soup”
4. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*knappō“knob; boy”
5. Old High German · derived fromknodo
6. Middle High German · derived fromknödel“dumpling; small knot”
7. German · borrowed fromNudel“piece of pasta, noodle”
8. Dutch · borrowed fromnoedel“noodle”
9. English todaynoodle

Borrowed from Dutch noedel (“noodle”), or from its etymon German Nudel (“piece of pasta, noodle”); further etymology uncertain, probably a variant of Knödel (“dumpling”), from Middle High German knödel (“dumpling; small knot”), and then either: * from knode, knote (“knot”) (from Old High German knodo, knoto (“knot”), perhaps ultimately related to Proto-West Germanic *knappō (“knob; boy”)) + -el (diminutive suffix); or * from Ladin menùdli (“small dough dumpling in soup”), probably from Latin minutulus (“very small, tiny”) (in the sense of food chopped into small pieces), a diminutive of minūtus (“diminished; having been diminished”), the perfect passive participle of minuō (“to make smaller, diminish, lessen, reduce”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“little, small”). Cognates * French nouille, noudle, nudeln * Swedish nudel

noodle · noun, verb²

The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly a variant of noddle (“the head”). The verb is derived from the noun.

noodle · verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰrun-“to shout”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*grunnōną“to grunt”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*grunnatjaną“to grunt”
4. Old Norse · derived from*grynta
5. Norwegian · derived fromnuna
6. Danish · derived fromnynne
7. Scots · derived fromnune“to sing softly, croon, hum”
8. English todaynoodle

Possibly either: * a blend of Shetland Scots nune (“to sing softly, croon, hum”) (from Danish nynne, Norwegian nuna, nynna (“to hum; to sing”), originally imitative) + English doodle (“to play the bagpipes”) (chiefly Scotland); or * from Norn (unattested), from Old Norse *grynta, from Proto-Germanic *grunnatjaną (“to grunt”), a frequentative of Proto-Germanic *grunnōną (“to grunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrun- (“to shout”) (and thus a doublet of grunt).

noodle · verb, noun⁴

1. German · derived fromnudeln“to make music or sing listlessly; to make music or sing at a low pitch or volume, or in an improvisatory manner”
2. English todaynoodle

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly derived: * from noodle (“to hum or sing (a tune) at a low pitch or volume”) (Shetland) (see etymology 3); or * from German nudeln (“to make music or sing listlessly; to make music or sing at a low pitch or volume, or in an improvisatory manner”) (Leipzig), apparently from Nudel (“piece of pasta, noodle”) (see etymology 1) + -n (a variant of -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs)). The word was probably also influenced by doodle (“to draw or scribble aimlessly”, verb). The noun is probably derived from the verb, though the verb is first attested later. The noun was probably also influenced by doodle (“small mindless sketch”, noun).

noodle · verb⁵

Uncertain; possibly: * from noodle (“to fool or trick (someone)”) (obsolete) (see etymology 2); or * from nodule (“rounded mass or irregular shape”).

noodle · verb⁶

Unknown; perhaps related to guddle (“to catch (fish) with the hands”).

Words from the same roots