beignet

[ ben-yey; French be-nye ]

/ bɛnˈyeɪ; French bɛˈnyɛ /

noun, plural bei·gnets [ben-yeyz; French be-nye] /bɛnˈyeɪz; French bɛˈnyɛ/.

a fritter or doughnut.

French Cookery. any fruit, vegetable, seafood, etc., dipped in batter and deep-fried.

Nearby words

behçet's syndrome, beiderbecke, beiderbecke, bix, beige, beigel, beignet, beijing, beilan pass, being, beira, beirut

Origin of beignet

1830–35, Americanism; < Louisiana French (def 1), French (def 2), Middle French bignet pastry filled with fruit or meat, equivalent to buyne literally, bruise, lump from a blow (of uncertain origin; cf. bunion) + -et -et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beignet

Nor in gougre or beignet or bouche will Parmesan betray confidence.
The Feasts of Autolycus|Elizabeth Robins Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for beignet

beignet

/ (ˈbɛnjeɪ) /

noun

mainly US and Canadian a square deep-fried pastry served hot and sprinkled with icing sugar

Word Origin for beignet

C19: French bignet filled pastry, from buyne, literally: bump or lump

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