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bisque

1

or bisk

[bisk]
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noun
  1. a thick cream soup, especially of puréed shellfish or vegetables.
  2. ice cream made with powdered macaroons or nuts.
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Origin of bisque

1
From French, dating back to 1640–50, of uncertain origin

bisque

2
[bisk]
noun Sports.
  1. a point, extra turn, or the like, as in court tennis or croquet.
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Origin of bisque

2
1605–15; < French, earlier biscaye, of uncertain origin

bisque

3
[bisk]
noun
  1. biscuit1(def 4).
  2. Also called biscuit ware. vitreous china that is left unglazed.
  3. a pinkish-tan color.
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adjective
  1. having the color bisque.
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Origin of bisque

3
First recorded in 1655–65; short for biscuit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bisque

amber, ivory, lemon, gold, blond, cream, buff, chrome, saffron, sand, bisque, tawny, xanthous

Examples from the Web for bisque

Historical Examples of bisque

  • In the distance a curtain of porphyry and bisque drew its shadow across the moon.

    Erik Dorn

    Ben Hecht

  • As it was I won in an uneventful six, and took with a bisque the short hole which followed.

    Happy Days

    Alan Alexander Milne

  • The potter will glaze your work for you if you wish, or leave it in the bisque.

  • A bisque is one stroke which may be claimed at any time during a set.

  • I tell you: how would it be if we began with a bisque of crab?

    The Imitator

    Percival Pollard

British Dictionary definitions for bisque

bisque

1
noun
  1. a thick rich soup made from shellfish
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Word Origin for bisque

C17: from French

bisque

2
noun
    1. a pink to yellowish tan colour
    2. (as modifier)a bisque tablecloth
  2. ceramics another name for biscuit (def. 4)
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Word Origin for bisque

C20: shortened from biscuit

bisque

3
noun
  1. tennis golf croquet an extra point, stroke, or turn allowed to an inferior player, usually taken when desired
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Word Origin for bisque

C17: from French, of obscure origin
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 bisque

n.1

soup, 1640s, bisk, from French bisque "crayfish soup" (17c.), said to be an altered form of Biscaye "Biscay." Gamillscheg says: "Volkstümliche Entlehnung aus norm. bisque 'schlechtes Getränk.'" Modern form in English from 1731.

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n.2

"unglazed porcelain," 1660s, alteration of biscuit.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper