aspic

[ as-pik ]

noun

a savory jelly usually made with meat or fish stock and gelatin, chilled and used as a garnish and coating for meats, seafoods, eggs, etc.
a similar jelly made with spiced tomato juice and gelatin, served as a salad.

Origin of aspic

First recorded in 1780–90; from French; perhaps so called because the form or color resembled those of an asp, or because the jelly was as cold as an asp; see aspic²

Words Nearby aspic

Other definitions for aspic (2 of 3)

aspic²

[ as-pik ]

noun

Obsolete. asp¹ (def. 1).

Origin of aspic

First recorded in 1520–30; from French, from Provençal aspic, alteration of Latin aspid- (stem of aspis ) “asp,” from Greek aspíd- (stem of aspís) “Egyptian cobra,” literally, “shield,” possibly so called from the shieldlike appearance of the cobra's head when it attacks; see also asp¹

Other definitions for aspic (3 of 3)

aspic³

[ as-pik ]

noun

a variety of lavender (Lavandula spica) cultivated for its oil, used in perfumes and toiletries.

Origin of aspic

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French (huile d') aspic, for (huile de) spic “(oil of) lavender spike,” from Old French espic “spike lavender,” originally “spikenard,” from Medieval Latin spīcus “spikenard,” from Latin: variant of spīca, spīcum spike²

Also called lavender aspic, aspic lavender, lavender spike, spike lavender .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aspic in a sentence

I went into the desperation pie-baking project thinking it was going to be like when people try to make food from the ’60s and it’s all just weird aspics.
Where There’s Pie, There’s Hope | Elazar Sontag | September 1, 2021 | Eater
Byford rejects the idea “that mass travel to offices is a thing of the past, or that Central London is going to become some sort of tourist attraction preserved in aspic.”
Can Public Transit Survive the Pandemic? London's New Transport Commissioner Wants You to Believe It Can | Ciara Nugent/London | April 2, 2021 | Time
Ornament the top with chopped aspic and alternate slices of lemon and cucumber round.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis
Roast a brace of grouse, and skin them, and mask them with brown sauce in which aspic has been mixed.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis
Turn out and decorate the base with chopped aspic, truffles, parsley, and tomatoes.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis

Garnish with chopped aspic round the larks, and sippets of aspic beyond this.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis
Take a pretty shaped jelly mould, pour in a little of the red aspic to about rather more than a quarter of the mould.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis

British Dictionary definitions for aspic (1 of 3)

aspic¹

/ (ˈæspɪk) /

noun

a savoury jelly based on meat or fish stock, used as a relish or as a mould for meat, vegetables, etc

Origin of aspic

C18: from French: aspic (jelly), asp 1; variously explained as referring to its colour or coldness as compared to that of the snake

British Dictionary definitions for aspic (2 of 3)

aspic²

/ (ˈæspɪk) /

noun

an archaic word for asp 1

Origin of aspic

C17: from French, from Old Provençal espic spike, from Latin spīca, head (of flower); compare spikenard

British Dictionary definitions for aspic (3 of 3)

aspic³

/ (ˈæspɪk) /

noun

either of two species of lavender, Lavandula spica or L. latifolia, that yield an oil used in perfumery: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

Origin of aspic

C16: from Old French, a variant of aspe asp ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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