canapé

American  

[kan-uh-pee, -pey, ka-na-pey] / ˈkæn ə pi, -ˌpeɪ, ka naˈpeɪ /

noun

plural

canapés

1. a thin piece of bread or toast or a cracker spread or topped with cheese, caviar, anchovies, or other savory food.

2. Furniture. a sofa of 18th-century France, made in any of several forms, often with matching chairs.

3. Bridge. a style of bidding in which short suits are bid before long ones.

---

canapé British  

/ -ˌpeɪ, kanape, ˈkænəpɪ /

noun

1. a small piece of bread, toast, etc, spread with a savoury topping

2. (in French cabinetwork) a sofa

---

Etymology

Origin of canapé

1885–90; < French: literally, a covering or netting, originally for a bed ( canopy ), by extension for a piece of bread

Explanation

At a fancy party, that savory snack served on a small piece pastry is a canape. If you hate fish, you might want to avoid the smoked salmon canapes and instead try the little fritters with salsa on top. While canape is almost always used to mean "bite-sized party food," it also means "couch." So you could actually sit on a canape and nibble on a canape! Legend has it that a French chef trying to come up with a new type of h'ors d'oeuvre looked at his sofa and had the brilliant idea to take a small piece of bread and put something tasty on it, like a person sitting on a settee. In French, canapé means "sofa."

Example Sentences

Coronation music, including Hubert Parry's anthem I Was Glad will be followed by a champagne and canapé reception in the town's Priory Centre.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

This canapé base is a collard blini, layered with a light and airy chevre black-eyed pea mousse and topped with a brunoise of roasted beet, lemon zest and green apple Pop Rocks.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2020

So an “efficient, affordable and zero-waste” canapé was made from cucumber, tomato, mould microprotein, dried anchovy and indian salad hydroponically grown in Clapham.

From The Guardian • May 15, 2019

But that description misses the sneaky, subversive wit that pierces every scene of this movie like a toothpick in a canapé.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2016

The French, indeed, borrow their word canapé from can-al-pié.

From The Man Who Laughs by Hugo, Victor

Related Words

• bit
• bite
• touch