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.
In "Paris Sweets," she shared a Whole-Lemon Tart inspired by Rollet-Pradier, a pâtisserie in Paris.
From Salon • Jun. 20, 2021
My first inclination was to recommend doing it like the French do when they entertain at home: serving a tarte or individual pastries, proudly procured from a reputed local pâtisserie.
From Slate • Sep. 27, 2018
They ate at a French pâtisserie eight blocks from the office.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 20, 2018
France, after all, values elegance and aesthetics in all corners of life, whether of cakes in a pâtisserie window, or neatly polished nails.
From Economist • May 26, 2016
Our chauffeur, being accustomed to famished pilgrims, conducted us at once to a garden café quite near the château, from whence we could study its long façade while enjoying our tea and pâtisserie.
From In Château Land by Wharton, Anne Hollingsworth
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.
