- a small piece of dough, steamed or boiled and served with meat or soup
- a crust of dough filled with fruit and steamed or baked
- Informal a short, fat person or animal
Origin of dumplingfrom uncertain or unknown; perhaps
- A piece of dough, sometimes filled, that is cooked in liquid such as water or soup.
- Sweetened dough wrapped around fruit, such as an apple, baked and served as a dessert.
- Informal A short, chubby creature.
Origin of dumplingEarlier dumplin perhaps from dump lump
- A ball of dough that is cooked and may have a filling and/or additional ingredients in the dough.
- A term of endearment.
- My little dumpling.
perhaps an alteration of lump, possibly associated with -ling by popular etymology