shortbread

[shawrt-bred]

noun

a butter cookie commonly made in thick, pie-shaped wheels or rolled and cut in fancy shapes.

Origin of shortbread

First recorded in 1795–1805; short + bread

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for shortbread

Historical Examples of shortbread

I find your Christmas present (just arrived) to be a haggis and shortbread!
The Letters of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Who should it be but Uncle Clarke, with a big cake of shortbread in his arms!
Our Little Scotch Cousin
Blanche McManus
There were none for me, but one and a fine Scotch shortbread for the wounded Fife man in the bed next to mine.
A Yeoman's Letters
P. T. Ross
These shortbread things are fussing about hither and thither across the field, and now and then an amœba comes crawling into view.
Certain Personal Matters
H. G. Wells
This was right; the dog paid his halfpenny, took his shortbread, and ate it with decorous satisfaction.
Dog Stories from the "Spectator"
Various

British Dictionary definitions for shortbread

shortbread

noun

a rich crumbly biscuit made from dough with a large proportion of butter

Word Origin for shortbread

C19: from short (in the sense: crumbly)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shortbread

also short-bread, 1755, from short (see shortening) + bread (n.).