truffle

[truhf-uhl, troo-fuhl]

noun

1. any of several subterranean, edible, ascomycetous fungi of the genus Tuber.

2. any of various similar fungi of other genera.

3. a candy made of soft chocolate, shaped into a ball and dusted with cocoa, or sometimes a three-layered cube of light and dark chocolate.

truffle

/ ˈtrʌfəl /

noun

1. Also called: earthnut. any of various edible saprotrophic ascomycetous subterranean fungi of the European genus Tuber . They have a tuberous appearance and are regarded as a delicacy

2. Also called: rum truffle. a sweet resembling this fungus in shape, flavoured with chocolate or rum

Other Word Forms

• truffled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of truffle¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from Dutch truffel(e), from Middle French truffle, truffe, from Old Provençal trufa, from Late Latin tūfer (unrecorded), tūfera, probably from an Osco-Umbrian cognate of Latin tūber tuber ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of truffle¹

C16: from French truffe , from Old Provençal trufa , ultimately from Latin tūber

Example Sentences

She also mixes crumbled bacon and a few drops of black truffle oil to the dish before baking it with a thick layer of freshly chopped bread crumbs.

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Indeed, Dalia has trouble with her Italian, and when she offers to help him find truffles, he insists his granddaughter doesn’t have the instincts or the calloused hands necessary for the job.

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A glass filled with black truffle cream in which a perfectly soft-cooked egg rests, topped with crisp French fries and dust of jamón.

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It’s served tempura style with brown butter, aged Buddha’s hand fruit, fresh walnuts and black truffle.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Her spring trip goes heavy on wild greens, with a good dose of truffle hunting, while the fall is a bonanza of shaggy parasol mushrooms and mountain villages.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal