/pel"meuh nee/ ; Russ. /pyil mye"nyi/ , n.pl. Russian Cookery.
a Siberian dish of small pockets of dough filled with seasoned, minced beef, lamb, or pork and served boiled, fried, or in a soup.
Also, pelmeni .
[ 1940-45; pel'méni, pl. of PEL'MÉN', dissimilated form of dial. pel'nyán' pel'nan, equiv. to pel' ear + nan bread, pastry (so called from their earlike shape ]