Obs. rare. [OE. cicel, of obscure etymology. The retention of unpalatalized c (k) can be explained only by taking cicel as = *cycel:—*kukilo-; in which case this word would not be related to cœcil, KECHEL; but the identity of sense makes this difficult to accept.] A small cake.
In the quot. from Chaucer, all the MSS. of the six-text edition have kechel. The Harleian reading, however, is also that of Thynne’s ed., and from these sources the word has passed into mod. dicts.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., III. 30. Þonne se cicel coliʓe, þonne wyrc þu ma. Ibid., 134. Nim ʓetemsud melu and bac hym anne cicel of.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sompn. T., 39 (Harl. MS.). Yif us a busshel whet, or malt, or reye, A Goddes kichil, or a trip of chese.
[1598. Specht, Chaucer’s Wks., B b b b. A cake … called a God’s kichell, because godfathers and godmothers vsed commonly to giue one of them to their godchildren, when they asked a blessing.
1616. Bullokar, Eng. Expos., Kitchell, a kinde of cake. Also in Blount, Phillips, and later dicts.]
[a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Kickel, a sort of flat cake with sugar and currants strewn on the top.
1875. Sussex Gloss., Kickel.]
