baguette
Americannoun
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a long, narrow loaf of French bread.
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Jewelry.
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a rectangular shape given to a small gem, especially a diamond, by cutting and polishing.
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a gem having this shape.
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Architecture. a small convex molding, especially one of semicircular section.
noun
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a narrow French stick loaf
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a small gem cut as a long rectangle
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the shape of such a gem
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architect a small moulding having a semicircular cross section
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of baguette
First recorded in 1720–30; from French, from Italian bacchetta “little stick,” equivalent to bacch(io) “stick” (from Latin baculus “stick, walking stick, scepter”) + -etta -ette
Explanation
A baguette is a long, thin loaf of French bread. Your mom might ask you to buy a baguette at the bakery on your way home for dinner. Baguettes are distinctive because of their shape, and if they're baked well, they have a crisp crust and a soft interior. In the 1700s, the word baguette referred only to rod-like architectural details, though by the mid-20th century, it also meant "bread." In French, baguette means "wand, rod, or baton," and it appears in "magic wand," or baguette magique, as well as "chopsticks," baguettes chinoises.
Vocabulary lists containing baguette
Stairway To Leaven: Baking Vocabulary
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Power Suffix: -ette
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World Cuisine - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
She tears into a warm baguette, smears it with chèvre and hands him a piece.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
The zig-zag of that famous yellow shirt winkingly graces a crescent baguette, while the black stripes of Linus’s red red shirt wrap around a slouchy shoulder bag.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
Bread, especially the baguette, is a staple in French diets but also a major source of salt, traditionally accounting for about 25% of the recommended daily intake.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2026
It has hot showers, a pool, a bakery where we order baguette and pain chocolat for the morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
Beside him, a bottle of red wine and a baguette are spread on a checkered cloth.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
French bakeries sold crusty baguettes and flaky croissants with government backing Friday, defying labour unions arguing that May 1 should remain a day of compulsory rest.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Customers hate the tiny, cramped metal baguettes that feed passengers from small cities across the country to major hubs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
The pizzas and baguettes on offer are all sourdough-based, made fresh at the shop, with produce from local farmers.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
At first, it was the basics: crusty rounds, lean baguettes, rustic grainy loaves, the kind of bread that made a meal stretch.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
Today we have cold roast chicken, tomato-basil salad, Camembert, baguettes, and strawberry lemonade in the dining room.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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.
