Bonbon
/ˈbɒn.bɒn/noun
A small sweet or candy, especially a piece of chocolate with a flavored filling.
Did you know?Bonbon is a reduplicated French word, and its childlike repetition was used to make the treat sound extra pleasant and appealing long before English adopted it.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
French
bonbon
“A sweet treat or confection, formed by repeating bon 'good' for emphasis or playfulness.”
17th Century
French
bon
“Good; pleasant; desirable.”
Latin
Latin
bonus
“Good; favorable; of good quality.”
Proto-Italic
PIE
*deynos / *dwynos (uncertain)
“An earlier ancestral form behind Latin bonus, meaning 'good' or 'fitting' (reconstructed and not fully certain).”
Modern English
English
bonbon
“A small candy, especially a chocolate-coated sweet.”