omelette

British  

/ ˈɒmlɪt /

noun

1. a savoury or sweet dish of beaten eggs cooked in fat

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Etymology

Origin of omelette

C17: from French omelette, changed from alumette, from alumelle sword blade, changed by mistaken division from la lemelle, from Latin (see _lamella ); apparently from the flat shape of the omelette

Explanation

An omelette is an egg dish that's folded in half and filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables. Next time you go out to breakfast, try ordering an omelette instead of your usual fried eggs! The word omelette is French, from a root meaning "thin, small plate," a reference to an omelette's flat shape. Historians have traced the omelette back to ancient Persia, where cooks made savory dishes using beaten eggs. Today's omelette is generally fluffy and filled with cheese, and while the one you get at a diner may seem large, it can't match the world's largest omelette, which weighed over 14,000 pounds and used 145,000 eggs.

Example Sentences

I watched in awe as melted cheese oozed out from inside, forming a delicious crust along the edges of my cooked omelette.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

There’s also my go-to dining hall omelette and scrambled eggs, made with butter, crumbled feta cheese, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and Old Bay seasoning.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

Located on Trinity Street, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, the house is opposite Gwen's where Bryn would frequently pop in for an omelette and the occasional mint Baileys.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

Hahn remembers visiting the restaurant at least once or twice a week for a Philly cheesesteak omelette or a King Saugus Burger when he worked in the area.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

He would lecture me about his latest research into the boring life of some dead guy while I ate tiny forkfuls of mushroom omelette and nibbles of cinnamon bagel with butter.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson