blancmange
Americannoun
-
a sweet pudding prepared with almond milk and gelatin and flavored with rum or kirsch.
-
a sweet, white pudding made with milk and cornstarch and flavored with vanilla.
noun
Etymology
Origin of blancmange
1350–1400; apocopated variant of Middle English blancmanger < Middle French: literally, white eating. See blank, manger
Explanation
Blancmange is a dessert made of milk, sugar, and sometimes almonds. It’s usually served cold in a mold. It’s kind of like vanilla pudding. For some reason, it’s often pink. This French term means "white food," and that's a very good description of blancmange. This dessert is like a pudding made from milk and cornstarch, and although it's sometimes pink, it's usually white and somewhat bland. However, there are various ways of livening it up. Sometimes spices or even shredded chicken is added. Occasionally, this word has been a synonym for nonsense, as in, "That's a load of blancmange!"
Vocabulary lists containing blancmange
Pie Chart: Dessert Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Boy: Tales of Childhood
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Matilda
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every time I do, I think of Jo charging into that doomed kitchen with “perfect faith in her own powers” and emerging with blackened bread and lumpy blancmange.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
When it was over, I found myself wishing to do good deeds, wanting to taste blancmange, yearning for a new silk dress and a trip to Europe — and full of opinions.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2019
It even included recipes for foreign dishes, such as blancmange.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019
It was like a blancmange, he says; “you could put your finger in it and it would somehow reseal.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2016
Madam’s list of required delicacies was endless: gingerbread, pies of brandied peaches and preserved cherries and mincemeat, macaroons, blancmange, Jordan almonds, sugar candy, as many kinds of cake as there were fingers on both hands.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
