petit four

American  

[pet-ee fawr, fohr, puh-tee foor] / ˈpɛt i ˈfɔr, ˈfoʊr, pə ti ˈfur /

noun

plural

petits fours, petit fours

1. a small teacake, variously frosted and decorated.

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petit four British  

/ pəti fur, ˈpɛtɪ ˈfɔː /

noun

1. any of various very small rich sweet cakes and biscuits, usually decorated with fancy icing, marzipan, etc

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Etymology

Origin of petit four

1880–85; < French: literally, small oven

Example Sentences

Pungent dried scallops are in a sweet-and-savory fudge petit four, not a classic soup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 18, 2025

The bride’s mother stuffed a bottle of champagne and a plate of petit four into the newlyweds’ arms and drove them back to Paris, in time to catch the 1:30 p.m.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2020

They’ll end the meal with a “sip of tea,” a petit four formation styled in honor of Japanese tea and cherry blossoms.

From Time • Apr. 28, 2015

But it is not 1962, a petit four is not a silk screen, and McDonald’s burgers are not merely a symbol of commercialism.

From Slate • May 3, 2013

As I read, I imagine each piece of information is like a petit four, dissolving on my tongue.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy