ladyfinger
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ladyfinger
Explanation
Don't be horrified if your friend offers you a ladyfinger with your tea — ladyfingers are long, soft cookies, so you don't need to be a cannibal to eat them. Ladyfingers get their name from their finger-like shape, and in Britain they're commonly referred to by the less graceful "sponge fingers." These cookies are soft little cakes made with eggs, flour, and sugar. Truth be told, ladyfingers aren't very exciting on their own, being so mildly flavored and lightly sweetened that they're commonly given to toddlers. Ladyfingers are best used in elaborate desserts like trifle and tiramisu, when they're soaked in syrups and topped with cream, fruit, or chocolate.
Vocabulary lists containing ladyfinger
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.
As per Guinness World Record rules, the record-breaking tiramisu was made and assembled live on site, and used 50,000 ladyfinger biscuits and more than 3,000 eggs.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
It’s essentially layers of ladyfinger biscuits soaked in Darjeeling tea, covered in a cardamom orange cream and topped with fresh orange segments and slivered pistachios.
From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025
The pair then perfected the dessert by adding ladyfinger sponges soaked in coffee, and sprinkling it with cocoa - calling it Tireme Sù, which translates into English as "pick me up".
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2021
She has been homebound for some years, and her diet remains spartan, if unorthodox: In addition to eggs, she eats bananas and ladyfinger cookies.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2016
Remove from the oven and take from the paper by slipping a sharp knife under each ladyfinger.
From Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 4: Salads and Sandwiches; Cold and Frozen Desserts; Cakes, Cookies and Puddings; Pastries and Pies by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
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.
