au gratin

[oh graht-n, oh grat-n, aw graht-n, aw grat-n, oh gra-tan]

adjective

Cooking.

1. cooked or baked with a topping of either browned breadcrumbs and butter or grated cheese, or with both: cauliflower au gratin.

   au gratin potatoes;

   cauliflower au gratin.

au gratin

/ o ɡratɛ̃ /

adjective

1. Also: gratinated. covered and cooked with browned breadcrumbs and sometimes cheese

Word History and Origins

Origin of au gratin¹

First recorded in 1800–10; from French: literally, “with the scraping,” (i.e., the burnt part)

Word History and Origins

Origin of au gratin¹

French, literally: with the grating