bagel

Alternative Spellings

beygl

Definitions

• "A leavened, firm, doughnut shaped roll" (JPS)

Example Sentences

• "They served lox and bagels for breakfast after davening."

Languages of Origin

Yiddish

Etymology

בײגל beygl, related to Yiddish root בײג beyg 'bend, curve'

Who Uses This

Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

Notes

Plural "bagels," although the original Yiddish plural is beygl (same as singular)