Bagel Meaning, Pronunciation & Examples

Meaning 1：bagel (Bagel)

Bagel 🔊

/ˈbeɪɡəl/

A ring-shaped bread that is boiled and then baked, often eaten for breakfast or as a snack.

bagel 🔊

➕

/ˈbeɪɡəl/

A ring-shaped bread product that is boiled before baking, resulting in a dense, chewy texture; commonly eaten for breakfast or as a snack, often sliced and toasted with spreads.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Yiddish 'beygl', from Old High German 'boug' (ring).

💡 Mnemonic

Bagel rhymes with 'bagel'? No, think 'bag' + 'el' = a round bag with an L-shaped hole.

📖 Example

I always enjoy a warm bagel with jam and a cup of tea in the morning before starting my day. 🔊 I always enjoy a warm bagel with jam and a cup of tea in the morning before starting my day.

🔗 Collocations

bagel with cream cheese – a bagel spread with cream cheese

everything bagel – a bagel topped with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, onion, and salt

toasted bagel – a bagel that has been browned by heat

🔄 Synonyms

bialy (n.) – a round, flat bread roll with a depression in the middle, similar to a bagel but not boiled

bread roll (n.) – a small, often round loaf of bread, sometimes similar in shape to a bagel

🌱 Derivatives

bageler (n.) – a person who makes or sells bagels

bagel-like (adj.) – resembling a bagel in shape or texture

📖 Cultural Story

Originating in 16th-century Polish Jewish communities, the bagel's ring shape symbolizes life's cycle. Jewish immigrants popularized it in the U.S., where it became a breakfast staple.