pastry

[pey-stree]

noun

plural

pastries 

1. a sweet baked food made of dough, especially the shortened paste used for pie crust and the like.

2. any item of food of which such dough forms an essential part, as a pie, tart, or napoleon.

pastry

/ ˈpeɪstrɪ /

noun

1. a dough of flour, water, shortening, and sometimes other ingredients

2. baked foods, such as tarts, made with this dough

3. an individual cake or pastry pie

Word History and Origins

Origin of pastry¹

First recorded in 1530–40; paste + -ry

Word History and Origins

Origin of pastry¹

C16: from _paste ¹

Example Sentences

I know what those delicious aromas mean—there are freshly baked pastries in the kitchen, calling my name.

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“I do enjoy a good Danish pastry, though.”

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“It gets really bad at Christmastime,” one long-suffering woman working at the pastry counter told me, noting that Yuletide season is fast upon us.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I checked out, darted to the coffee shop across the street, and sketched the thing in my notebook: a soft, sturdy pastry — probably yeasted — layered with cheese and black pepper.

Read more on Salon

Heading into the holidays, she is working on hiring four extra employees to help with an expected influx of customers seeking scones and other pastries for holiday gifts, celebrations and comfort.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bread 
• cake 
• croissant 
• doughnut 
• phyllo 
• pie