Meanings
- pluralplural onlyEgg dumplings or noodles used in German cuisine
Ed enjoyed kniffles, sauerbraten, a glass of pilsener taken away from home and Cosey's sight...
1987, Richard Irwin Rossbacher, Now Remembered: Living Pennsylvania History Through 1900, page 5172 more examples
Making kniffles for the sauerkraut supper, both at the church and in earlier years in my parent's house and hauling them over to the church in a big kettle.
2004, St. John's Lutheran Church, 150th Anniversary, 1854-2004In a separate pan, mix flour and eggs into boiling water, then mix in what he calls the "kniffles."
2008 October, Orange Coast Magazine, page 94Synonyms: spaetzle
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEgg dumplings or noodles used in German cuisine
Origin
- Alemannic GermanKnöpfli“pastry similar to spaetzle”
- Englishkniffles
From Alemannic German Knöpfli (“pastry similar to spaetzle”). Compare the verb knöpfen (“to button”).
More words from Alemannic German
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
kniffles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kniffles
“kniffles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kniffles. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kniffles,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kniffles.
Source: kniffles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.