The term "doughnuts" (d-o-u-n-t), or "doughnuts" (d-o-u-g-h-u-n-t), likely derives from the early version of the treat, which were often made from small balls of dough, fried and sweetened.

甜甜圈"（d-o-u-n-t）或 "甜甜圈"（d-o-u-g-h-u-n-t）一詞很可能源於早期的甜點，通常由小麵糰製成，油炸並加糖。

The name "doughnut" could be a literal description, with "dough" referring to the pastry dough used, and "nut" referring to the original small round shape resembling a nut.

甜甜圈 "這個名字可以從字面上理解，"麵糰 "指的是使用的糕點麵糰，"堅果 "指的是最初的小圓形狀，類似堅果。

Another theory suggests that the term "nut" might refer to the use of nuts as a filling or decoration in early recipes. The first recorded use of the term "doughnut" was in Washington Irving's 1809 book, A History of New York, where he mentioned doughnuts in reference to the Dutch settlers' fried pastries.

另一種說法認為，"堅果 "一詞可能是指在早期的食譜中使用堅果作為餡料或裝飾。華盛頓-歐文（Washington Irving）在 1809 年出版的《紐約史》（A History of New York）一書中首次使用了 "甜甜圈 "一詞，他在書中提到了荷蘭定居者的油炸糕點。

The simplified spelling "doughnuts" became popular in the United States in the 20th century, particularly after the rise of brand-like Dunkin' Donuts.

20 世紀，"甜甜圈 "的簡化拼寫在美國開始流行，尤其是在類似 "鄧肯甜甜圈 "的品牌崛起之後。