omelet

American  

[om-lit, om-uh-] / ˈɒm lɪt, ˈɒm ə- /

Or omelette

noun

1. eggs beaten until frothy, often combined with other ingredients, as herbs, chopped ham, cheese, or jelly, and cooked until set.

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Etymology

Origin of omelet

1605–15; < French omelette, earlier amelette, metathetic form of alemette, variant of alemelle literally, thin plate, variant of Old French lemelle < Latin lāmella. See lamella, -et

Explanation

An omelet is a dish you might order for breakfast or brunch — it's kind of like a folded pancake made of beaten eggs, sometimes with the addition of vegetables, cheese, or meat. Yum. A good omelet is a little bit fluffy, but firm enough to contain its filling. You cook an omelet by whisking eggs with a bit of water or milk and cooking them quickly over high heat without stirring. You can then fold the omelet in half to serve it. While the French word omelette was first used in the 1600s, the omelet itself may be more than two hundred years older than that. The Latin root, lamella, means "thin plate."

Example Sentences

"We have a saying in the breakfast business that you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, you know?" he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

Occasionally I will get up and make an omelet with all the things and some smothered potatoes, and bring it upstairs on a cart with some juice.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

Whether you’re perfecting your French omelet technique or just want to enjoy a stack of Saturday morning pancakes sans scrubbing, a quality skillet can make all the difference.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

We brunched on the restaurant’s chorizo omelet, braised beef empanadas and a towering lemon berry French toast.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

Remember the ham and cheese and broccoli omelet?

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt