Etymology: < German Bretzel kind of bread roll, made from a thin length of dough twisted into a knot and coated with brine before baking (now usually Brezel ; already in Old High German as brēzila , Middle High German brēzel , prēzel , prēzile ) < post-classical Latin bracellus kind of cake or biscuit (12th cent.), shortened < an unattested post-classical Latin form *brachiatellus (compare post-classical Latin bracidelli (plural) bakery items (in an undated glossary)) < classical Latin brachiātus , bracchiātus brachiate adj. (compare post-classical Latin braciatus (noun) kind of cake eaten on monastic holidays (11th cent.)) + -ellus-ellus suffix; so called on account of the resemblance to folded arms. Compare Italian bracciello a kind of cake, simnel, or biscuit (1598 in Florio).Compare ( < post-classical Latin *brachiatellus) Old High German brēzitella, Old Occitan bressadel, brassadel kind of ring-shaped cake (1480; Occitan braçadèl type of cake made with eggs, cake in the shape of a braid), Italian bracciatello kind of ring-shaped cake (second half of the 15th cent., also as bracciatella). The English form with initial p- probably represents a perception of the unaspirated pronunciation of b- in regional German (south.).

Etymology: < pretzel n.