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croissant

croissant

noun adjective krwah-SAHN Rare

Origin: French croissant 'growing, crescent', from croître 'to grow'

Also means

crescent (shape)

Usage Note

Croissant as a noun is the iconic flaky pastry, an emblem of French breakfast culture, actually originating from Austria. As the present participle of croître, it also functions as an adjective meaning 'increasing' — dans un ordre croissant (in ascending order). The two senses are clearly distinct in context.

Examples

"Elle mange un croissant au beurre chaque matin."

Natural Translation

She eats a butter croissant every morning.

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