'ladleful' is formed in English from the noun 'ladle' plus the suffix '-ful'; 'ladle' originates from Old English 'hlædel', where the root meant 'a dipper or vessel for scooping'.

'hlædel' (Old English) became Middle English 'ladel'/'ladel(e)' and later Modern English 'ladle'; the suffix '-ful' comes from Old English 'ful' meaning 'full' and was attached to nouns to indicate 'an amount equal to' (forming 'ladleful').

Initially the components referred to the object ('ladle') and the idea of fullness ('-ful'); over time the compound came to mean specifically 'the quantity held by a ladle' rather than the container itself.