Croissant
/ˈkwæs.ɒ̃/noun
A crescent-shaped, flaky French pastry made from layered, yeast-leavened dough.
Did you know?Croissant is the French present participle of “croître,” meaning “growing,” while the pastry itself was inspired by the Austrian kipferl before becoming a French icon.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“To grow, spring up, or become larger”
Classical Latin
Latin
crescere
“To grow, increase, or arise”
12th Century
Old French
creistre
“To grow or increase”
16th Century
French
croissant
“Growing; increasing; crescent-shaped”
19th Century
French
croissant
“A crescent-shaped pastry, especially in the modern laminated form”
Modern English
English
croissant
“A flaky, crescent-shaped pastry borrowed from French”