Etymology

From German Brezel, possibly from a Latin root bracchiolum "little arm"; named for the appearance of arms folded in prayer.

From another point of view, Hebrew פְּרֶצֵל pretzel, derived from the ancient semitic root (P-R-TZ) literally means «little thing with holes» in Hebrew, and is a cognate of words פרצה and פרץ (hole, gap, breach), used in biblical times.

Noun

1. A toasted bread or cracker usually in the shape of a loose knot.
2. Anything that is knotted, twisted, or tangled.