éclair
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of éclair
1860–65; < French: literally, lightning (flash), Old French esclair, noun derivative of esclairier to light, flash < Vulgar Latin *exclariāre, for Latin exclārāre, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + clārāre to make bright, derivative of clārus clear
Explanation
An eclair is a delicious French pastry that's filled with cream and topped with chocolate. You might think of an eclair as a fancy donut — although Parisians might disagree with you. The French éclair means "flash of lightning," and the scrumptious pastry got its name from the tendency people have to eat eclairs "in a flash." The 19th century Chambers Dictionary famously defined the eclair as "a cake, long in shape but short in duration." An eclair is like a stretched-out cream puff, choux dough baked and filled with creamy custard. Try one and see how long it lasts.
Vocabulary lists containing eclair
English Words Derived from French, List 11
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I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944
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Small as an Elephant
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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.
I’m one heavenly bite into a mini éclair, and he shoots me a judgmental glare.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2022
The éclair cake version uses that same dough piped into a square — you don't need to worry about it puffing up and forming a pocket, and if it doesn't rise well, who cares?
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2022
With the most common éclair errors deftly avoided, the result is a beautifully executed pastry.
From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2019
I do not recall what became of this botched beginning but am quite positive it did not magically turn into a chocolate éclair.
From Slate • Jul. 9, 2018
“Do you know I haven’t had one of these things or a chocolate éclair since the last time I was in one of these places with you?”
From The Wall Street Girl by Wolfe, George Ellis
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.
