noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A light dumpling made of lightly spiced minced meat or fish bound with egg and poached.
2. 2
   An elliptical shape moulded by chefs from soft foods using two spoons.
3. 3
   A gesture which is usually performed by pointing one arm diagonally downwards palm down, while touching the shoulder with the opposite hand, in a manner similar to an inverted Nazi salute.

Verb

1. 1
   To form a quenelle.

Etymology

Borrowed from French quenelle, from German Knödel. Doublet of knaidel.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.