omelet

American  

[om-lit, om-uh-] / ˈɒm lɪt, ˈɒm ə- /

Or omelette

noun

• omelets
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• omelets
  plural

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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

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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

See Examples For:

omelet omelets

The brasserie-like Café Clement serves an all-day menu developed by head chef Danny Bohan, formerly of the River Cafe, whose signature lobster omelet is among the fare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

We get up, and I start on an omelet as she gets ready.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

It’s what I like to call a maximalist egg — an egg, whether omelet, scrambled, or even hard-boiled, that doesn’t skimp on anything.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

"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

The next morning, he’s standing near the omelet station in the dining hall when he hears his name shouted from across the room.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

They wake up at 2 p.m. local time—which is morning back home—eat afternoon omelets and have dinner well after midnight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Earlier this year, Cal-Maine acquired Echo Lake Foods, which makes ready-to-eat breakfast foods, such as omelets, scrambled eggs, and pancakes.

From Barron's ● Jan. 6, 2026

If you’ve got a stockpile of eggs and you’re sick of endless omelets, why not make something that uses several eggs and lasts longer than one meal?

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2025

He discovers that making omelets, his soothing practice, helps him get through the song — but it’s an untenable crutch.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024

Father and the police chief made plans while the omelets on everyone’s plates got cold.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

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