petit four

noun

pe·​tit four ˌpe-tē-ˈfȯr How to pronounce petit four (audio)
pə-ˌtē-,
-ˈfu̇r How to pronounce petit four (audio)
plural petits fours or petit fours ˌpe-tē-ˈfȯrz How to pronounce petit four (audio)
pə-ˌtē-,
-ˈfu̇r(z)
: a small cake cut from pound or sponge cake and frosted

Examples of petit four in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Each guest also took home a petit four of Camp Lucy’s famous Texas honey cake. Emily Strohm, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2023 Get the Chicken Rolls tutorial from Flour & Spice Blog on Instagram. 2 Vanilla Rose Petit Four Cookies These petit four cookies are so pretty and the perfect finger food to serve to your guests. Manal Aman, Woman's Day Magazine, 8 Apr. 2023 Brittainy Newman/The New York Times Mochi meets dressy petits fours at the Mochidoki shop in SoHo opening on Thursday. Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2020 Swiftlet nests have been compared to caviar, petit fours, foie gras and even scones. 1843, 22 Nov. 2019 To wrap up the cozy evening, dainty petit fours were served for dessert—a touch of sweet in anticipation of today’s Halloween sugar rush. Vogue, 31 Oct. 2019 But for all their ideological similarities, Sanders and Warren are in many ways as different as ice cream and petit fours — one a reliable, simple classic; the other, a less familiar, refined taste. Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2019 One of her majesty’s diplomats imparted this nugget of patrician contempt to me in October 2018 at a black-tie fundraiser in Washington, sometime between the petits fours and Boris Johnson’s after-dinner routine. Dominic Green, WSJ, 10 July 2019 The brasseries in San Jose (Santana Row), Menlo Park and Larkspur will be celebrating Bastille Day with live music and entertainment and Bastille Day menu specials, including coq au vin, bouillabaisse and petits fours. Lisa Herendeen, The Mercury News, 2 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petit four.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, small oven

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petit four was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near petit four

Cite this Entry

“Petit four.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petit%20four. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

petit four

noun
plural petits fours or petit fours -ē-ˈfō(ə)rz How to pronounce petit four (audio)
-ˈfȯ(ə)rz
: a small frosted cake
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