Etymology: I've read that "beignet" comes from the French word for bump or bruise. Why? What's the connection?

Answer 1

From Merriam-Webster dictionary online:


beignet

Main Entry: bei·gnet
Pronunciation: \ˌbān-ˈyā, ˌben-\
Function: noun
Etymology: American French & French; American French, from French, from Middle French bignet, from buyne bump, bruise
Date: 1835

Answer 2

i don't know how much i can help but the word bump in French is bosse, in the word your asking about beignet i could be the word bosse combined with another word, alot of the time the word depends on how it pronounced.

i hope i could help at least a little bit

Answer 3

I know "une beigne" which is a blow: "donner une beigne à quelqu'un" is to give a blow to someone. It's uneducated slang.
Still, I wasn't aware of an etymological link between "une beigne" and "un beignet", which is in French a kind of fried pastry like a dough-nut but usually not ringed.