éclair
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of éclair
1860–65; < French: literally, lightning (flash), Old French esclair, noun derivative of esclairier to light, flash < Vulgar Latin *exclariāre, for Latin exclārāre, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + clārāre to make bright, derivative of clārus clear
Explanation
An eclair is a delicious French pastry that's filled with cream and topped with chocolate. You might think of an eclair as a fancy donut — although Parisians might disagree with you. The French éclair means "flash of lightning," and the scrumptious pastry got its name from the tendency people have to eat eclairs "in a flash." The 19th century Chambers Dictionary famously defined the eclair as "a cake, long in shape but short in duration." An eclair is like a stretched-out cream puff, choux dough baked and filled with creamy custard. Try one and see how long it lasts.
Vocabulary lists containing eclair
English Words Derived from French, List 11
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I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944
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Small as an Elephant
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Miriam Margoyles, Jenny Eclair and Bill Bailey are among the performers appearing in more than 3,000 shows at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which begins on Friday 1 August.
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2025
Alex Bolar, the owner of a Los Angeles-based baked goods pop-up, Eclair, said that in recipe development, he delayed the switch to strawberry-based dishes.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2023
Manhattan Beach, California-based Skechers sued Hermès last year, alleging its Eclair and Envol sneakers infringe two Skechers design patents covering the undulating "Massage Fit" soles in its "Go Walk" walking shoes.
From Reuters • Apr. 26, 2023
A dish that needs no introduction but will get one anyway: Permanently pinned to the top of our Instagram page, put your hands together for the beautiful, delicious and internet-famous Eclair Cake.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2023
Nevertheless, he was a little nervous as he was ushered into the formal reception-room of the Pensionnat, and waited until his credentials, countersigned by Maxwell, were submitted to Madame Eclair.
From Gabriel Conroy by Harte, Bert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
