An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Troddel

by Friedrich Kluge

Troddel, feminine, ‘tassel, bob,’ diminutive of Middle High German trâde, Old High German tráda, feminine (trâdo, masculine), ‘fringe’; Middle High German trôdel (dialectic for trâdel) signifies ‘fibre in wood,’ Since the other Teutonic dialects have no word corresponding to Old High German trâdo, ‘fringe,’ nothing definite can be ascertained concerning its early history.