Danish
Americanadjective
noun
-
a North Germanic language, the language of Denmark, closely related to Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic. Dan, Dan.
-
(sometimes lowercase) Danish pastry.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- anti-Danish adjective
- non-Danish adjective
- pro-Danish adjective
Etymology
Origin of Danish
First recorded before 900; Middle English, alteration of Denshe, Danshe, Dench (by influence of Dan “(a) Dane”), Old English Denisc , from Germanic daniskaz; see origin at Dane, -ish 1
Explanation
A danish is a sweet breakfast roll filled with custard, jam, or marzipan. If you're invited to brunch at a friend's house, she'll be happy to see you arrive with a box of danishes. If you order coffee and a danish at a diner, you'll get a flaky, buttery pastry topped with cheese or fruit — not a person from Denmark. The word is short for "danish pastry," which is actually called wienerbrød, or "Viennese bread" in Denmark. The popular history of the danish involves a strike by Danish bakery workers which led bakeries to hire Austrian bakers, who brought their own recipes for pastries rich with butter and egg.
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.
Danish brewer Carlsberg is meanwhile leaning into growing demand for non-alcoholic beverages after acquiring U.K. soft-drinks maker Britvic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
The researchers began by studying Danish patients who had experienced a serious bloodstream infection caused by the gut bacterium Bacteroides fragilis.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
The four-time Danish Superliga champions, who last won the title in 2024, are currently second - two points behind AGF.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Not surprisingly, others have not been able to replicate Swan’s findings, not even those in which she has collaborated—for example, these recent Danish or Spanish studies.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
The box held blood serum from a ten-year-old Danish boy who will be called Peter Cardinal.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
