patisserie
Americannoun
-
a shop where fancy pastries are sold
-
such pastries
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of patisserie
1760–70; < French pâtisserie, Middle French pastiserie, equivalent to pastis-, presumed Old French *pastitz pastry (< Vulgar Latin *pastīcium; see pasticcio) + -erie -ery
Explanation
A patisserie is a fancy French bakery. Hungry for a croissant, an eclair, or some macarons? If there's a patisserie in your town, you're in luck! Patisserie is a French word that means "pastry shop," from a Latin root that translates as "composed of paste," which makes more sense when you know that paste meant "dough" before it meant "glue." In French-speaking countries, it's spelled with a circumflex accent: pâtisserie. You can also use this word to describe French cakes and sweets in general: "Their selection of patisserie is really impressive, and I love their pain au chocolate!"
Vocabulary lists containing patisserie
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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.
See Examples For:
I learned about chocolatines last year from the Journal’s Joshua Robinson, who fainted from embarrassment when I walked into a Toulouse patisserie and ordered a “chocolatini,” like it was happy hour at an airport Chili’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
However, Sainsbury's has also announced it will cut 3,000 jobs as it shuts down its remaining cafés and closes its patisserie and pizza counters.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2025
Culinary historians suggest that Christmas cakes were first introduced to Japan in 1910, the same year that Fujii Rinemon opened a patisserie called Fujiya in Yokohama.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2023
Panterelli patisserie showcases eclairs and cream puffs in West Seattle.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
Her mouth is like a miniature pink sweetheart pastry from one of the patisserie windows in Trianon.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Pistachio cold foam now perches atop iced coffees from nationwide chains, Dubai chocolate knock-offs sit at every grocery checkout stand and boutique patisseries fill croissants with pistachio butters and creams.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Influencer-driven bottlenecks have become commonplace at Paris’s Insta-famous patisseries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
Moroccan and Senegalese cafes line the streets of Paris alongside traditional boulangeries and patisseries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
The Montorgueil neighborhood in the Second Arrondissement of Paris is known for its many restaurants, patisseries and chocolatiers, but it’s also a local favorite for one-of-a-kind shopping.
From New York Times ● Oct. 28, 2014
“They say that the head bakers from the finest patisseries in Paris come to the Fern Court, take one bite of tarte Philippe, and collapse, weeping with envy.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
