pollepel

Dutch

Etymology

First attested in 1348. Etymology unclear. Commonly suggested to be derived from potlepel (pot (“pot”) +‎ lepel (“spoon”)), but this form of the word is not attested, and assimilation from -tl- to -ll- is uncommon. When viewed as pol +‎ lepel, pol may refer to a round, hollow object.

The word probably used to refer to a large wooden spoon with a round bowl. In the Netherlands, the meaning of "wooden spoon" was kept, while in Belgium, the meaning of "spoon with a round bowl" was kept.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pol‧le‧pel

Noun

pollepel m (plural pollepels, diminutive pollepeltje n)

1. (Netherlands) wooden spoon, a rather shallow spoon used to stir food while cooking
2. (Belgium) ladle, a large deep spoon used to serve soup and other food

Synonyms

• soeplepel
• scheplepel