soupçon

American  

[soop-sawn, soop-sawn] / supˈsɔ̃, ˈsup sɔ̃ /

noun

1. a slight trace, as of a particular taste or flavor.

   Synonyms:

   vestige, hint, bit, dash

---

soupçon British  

/ supsɔ̃ /

noun

1. a slight amount; dash

---

Etymology

Origin of soupçon

First recorded in 1760–70; from French: literally, “a suspicion,” Middle French sospeçon, from Late Latin suspectiōn- (stem of suspectiō ), for Latin suspīciō suspicion

Explanation

If you ask the waiter for a soupcon of hot sauce on your omelet, he will give you a dash of Tabasco, provided he knows what soupcon means. It's hard for English speakers not to think of soup when they see this word, especially since it can mean a trace of something (such as a flavor), but the ancestor of soupçon is the same one that gives us suspicion and suspect, the Latin suspectionem: the common theme is that of an idea formed from scant evidence.

Example Sentences

The account has gotten widespread attention, in part for mixing its attacks with a soupçon of self-deprecation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

I might add a soupçon of Seurat, to account for the smooth unruffled Classical forms of the dance hall’s clientele.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

What if an autistic person tries to encourage understanding by dispassionately stating facts, and a neurotypical with tremendous certainty spews a series of incorrect takes — with perhaps a soupçon of condescension?

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2022

The film grabs ingredients not only from horror and comedy predecessors, but buddy-cop and cartel-war flicks, martial-arts movies and just a soupçon of Blaxploitation, and stirs them together in a vat of gory goodness.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2022

“I’m mostly pecans. With just a soupçon of maple sugar.”

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

Related Words

• crumb
• drop
• pinch