Dictionary.com
definitions

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

  1. behçet's syndrome,
  2. beiderbecke,
  3. beiderbecke, bix,
  4. beige,
  5. beigel,
  6. beijing,
  7. beilan pass,
  8. being,
  9. beira,
  10. 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
Word Origin and History for beignet

beignet

n.

"fritter," 1835, from French beignet "fritter, eggroll, doughnut" (14c.), from Old French buigne "bump, lump," from a Germanic source (cf. Middle High German bunge "clod, lump"), or from Gaulish *bunia (cf. Gaelic bonnach).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper