/ ˈdʌmplɪŋ; NAmE / noun
1.
a small ball of dough (= a mixture of flour, fat and water) that is cooked and served with meat dishes :
chicken with herb dumplings
2.
a small ball of pastry , often with fruit in it, eaten as a dessert :
apple dumplings
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: apparently from the rare adjective dump of the consistency of dough , although dumpling is recorded much earlier.