biscuit

noun

bis·​cuit ˈbi-skət How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
plural biscuits also biscuit
1
a
US : a small quick bread made from dough that has been rolled out and cut or dropped from a spoon
While both types of biscuit use the same handful of ingredients and are quick to prepare, drop biscuits don't rely on any of the finicky steps rolled biscuits require to get them just right.—Sandra Wu
b
British : cookie
The children were divided into groups of five seated round a table and each one was given a chocolate biscuit.—H. Colin Davis
2
: earthenware or porcelain after the first firing and before glazing
biscuit china

called also bisque

3
a
: a light grayish-yellowish brown
b
: a grayish yellow
4
woodworking : a small, flat oval of compressed wood that is glued into slots cut into the sides of two boards which are to be joined in order to increase the strength of the resulting bond
Have several clamps at the ready; then add glue to the biscuits, push them into the maple slots, and clamp the maple in place. The dry, compressed biscuits swell once glue is applied, so you have to work quickly.—Mike McClintock
compare tenon entry 1
5
slang : a hockey puck
To control the biscuit, you've got to win faceoffs.—Lindsay Berra
biscuity
ˈbi-skə-tē How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
adjective

see also take the biscuit

Did you know?

Long ago it was often a problem to keep food from spoiling, especially on long journeys. One way to preserve flat loaves of bread was to bake them a second time in order to dry them out. In early French, this bread was called pain bescuit or “bread twice-cooked.” Later the term was shortened to bescuit. The idea of being “twice–cooked” was lost as the term was used for any crisp flat bread or for bread made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The word was borrowed into Middle English as bisquite, but was later spelled biscuit on the model of the French spelling.

Examples of biscuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The most popular menu items are a Righteous Chicken biscuit with fried chicken brined in buttermilk, pickles and sauce; a Southern chicken biscuit with pimiento cheese and bacon; and the ubiquitous Nashville hot chicken biscuit. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2024 High rise: Flour the biscuit cutter (and avoid twisting) when cutting out biscuits for the best rise. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024 The spa’s entry lounge is bathed in deep blue, the perfect place to emerge from the three new treatment rooms for a cup of chamomile tea and a pine-nut-and-almond biscuit. —Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024 Buy It: Lodge Enamel Dutch Oven ($100, Target) 08 of 12 Classic Buttermilk Biscuits View Recipe These are the buttermilk biscuits that beat all other biscuit recipes. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024 Plus the fact that my skin gets subjected to a Popeyes biscuit level of dryness as a result of the season’s frigid temperatures is its own type of hell. —Essence, 28 Feb. 2024 Sweet treats like cookies and biscuits are also included. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024 Get The Recipe 28 of 32 Angel Biscuits These fluffy biscuits taste like they were sent straight from heaven to your plate. —Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 Use buttermilk in your favorite biscuit or scone recipe. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biscuit.' 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

Middle English bisquite, from Anglo-French besquit, from (pain) besquit twice-cooked bread

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of biscuit was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing biscuit

Dictionary Entries Near biscuit

biscotto

biscuit

biscuit beetle

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Biscuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biscuit. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

biscuit

noun
bis·​cuit ˈbis-kət How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
plural biscuits also biscuit
1
: a crisp flat baked product
especially, British : cracker sense 2
2
: a small light bread made with baking powder or baking soda
Etymology

Middle English bisquite "biscuit," from early French bescuit (same meaning), from earlier pain bescuit "bread twice-cooked"

Word Origin
Long ago it was often a great problem to keep food from spoiling, especially on long journeys. One way to preserve the flat loaves of bread made then was to bake them a second time in order to dry them out. In early French, this bread was known as pain bescuit or "bread twice-cooked." Later the term came to be shortened to just bescuit. The idea of being "twice-cooked" was lost as the term was used for any crisp, dry, flat bread product or for a type of bread made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The word was borrowed into Middle English as bisquite but later came to be spelled biscuit on the model of the French spelling.

Medical Definition

biscuit

noun
bis·​cuit ˈbis-kət How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
: porcelain after the first firing and before glazing

More from Merriam-Webster on biscuit

Nglish: Translation of biscuit for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of biscuit for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about biscuit

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