omelette

British  

/ ˈɒmlɪt /

noun

1. a savoury or sweet dish of beaten eggs cooked in fat

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Etymology

Origin of omelette

C17: from French omelette, changed from alumette, from alumelle sword blade, changed by mistaken division from la lemelle, from Latin (see _lamella ); apparently from the flat shape of the omelette

Explanation

An omelette is an egg dish that's folded in half and filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables. Next time you go out to breakfast, try ordering an omelette instead of your usual fried eggs! The word omelette is French, from a root meaning "thin, small plate," a reference to an omelette's flat shape. Historians have traced the omelette back to ancient Persia, where cooks made savory dishes using beaten eggs. Today's omelette is generally fluffy and filled with cheese, and while the one you get at a diner may seem large, it can't match the world's largest omelette, which weighed over 14,000 pounds and used 145,000 eggs.

Example Sentences

Hahn remembers visiting the restaurant at least once or twice a week for a Philly cheesesteak omelette or a King Saugus Burger when he worked in the area.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

Don Marco Laureano posted, “I hope late night Beth’s will be a thing again. There was nothing more Seattle than eating a 12 egg omelette at 3 in the morning and watching the sun rise.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2023

According to Grammarly, "omelet" is the standard American spelling of the word, while "omelette" is typically used in the United Kingdom and many other English-speaking countries.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2023

But, every time he makes an omelette, the memories of his father's wartime stories rush back.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2022

‘I’m making my special omelette, Faith,’ he said.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd