knaidel

K5N1A1I1D2E1L1
/ˈkneɪdl̩//kəˈneɪdl̩/

noun

A type of dumpling made of matzo eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during Passover.

Similar
Scrabble 12

Meanings

nounknaidel (plural knaidels or knaidlach or knaidloch)

plural knaidels · plural knaidlach · plural knaidloch · alternative knaidl · alternative knaydl · alternative kneidl · alternative kneydl · alternative knaydel · alternative kneidel · alternative kneydel

  1. A type of dumpling made of matzo eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during Passover.

    There she tests the offending knaydl. Once again the golf ball scoots around the bowl.

    1982, Bernard Harper Friedman, “Choosing a Name”, in Coming Close: A Novella and Three Stories as Alternative Autobiographies, page 168
    5 more examples

    What is real chicken soup without Jewish matzoh balls, also known as knaidlach, made from matzoh meal?

    2000, Beth Hensperger, Fluffy Knaidlach: The Best Quick Breads, unnumbered page

    I checked the date on the receipt and it was only a few days beforehand – that is to say, Davidov had been in London immediately before coming to France. And paying cash for smoked salmon followed by mehren tzimmes with knaidel.

    2009, L. C. Tyler, Ten Little Herrings, unnumbered page

    Once asked on a radio show about the derivation of knaidlach, I explained that the original knaidlach were actually rock hard, and created by Azhkenazic housewives as a weapon of self-defence.[…]The real origin of the knaidel, according to author John Cooper, is the south German Knödel, or dumpling—popular in German cuisine since the Middle Ages.

    2011, Phyllis Glazer, Miriyam Glazer, The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking, page 21

    If knaidl is dark in the center, ascertain whether this is the horseradish filling or an uncooked part. Don't overcook the knaidlach or they will fall apart.

    2012, Jayne Cohen, Jewish Holiday Cooking, unnumbered page

    Auntie Gussie would bring her tsimmes, sugared diced carrots baked with meat, and knaidel, a kind of matzo ball.

    2012, Sue Boggio, Mare Pearl, A Growing Season, unnumbered page

    Synonyms: matzo ball

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA type of dumpling made of matzo eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during Passover.

Similar

Origin

  1. Yiddishקניידל
  2. Englishknaidel

Borrowed from Yiddish קניידל (kneydl), cognate to German Knödel (“dumpling”). Doublet of knedle, knödel, and quenelle.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

knaidel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knaidel

MLA

“knaidel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knaidel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knaidel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knaidel.

Source: knaidel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.