Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small round cookie composed of a soft filling, such as ganache or buttercream, sandwiched between two delicate shells made from egg whites, ground almonds, sugar, and often other flavorings.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A sweet pastry traditionally made in France.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French; see macaroon.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French, itself from Italian

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Examples

  • Gargantua and Pantagruel, we find hard written evidence that the word macaron meant a dessert.

    Slate Articles Dan Jurafsky 2011

  • Lenôtre, Dalloyau, Gérard Mulot ... whisper just one of these magical names to any sweet tooth in the know and you will see eyes light up, lips twitch into a smile and the word macaron will roll gently off of the tongue, escape on a sigh.

    Jamie Schler: Macaron Madness 2010

  • Ladurée, Pierre Hermé, Lenôtre, Dalloyau, Gérard Mulot ... whisper just one of these magical names to any sweet tooth in the know and you will see eyes light up, lips twitch into a smile and the word macaron will roll gently off of the tongue, escape on a sigh.

    Jamie Schler: Macaron Madness 2010

  • The word macaron comes from "the Italian maccherone and the Venetian macarone (meaning fine paste), from which macaroni is also derived," says Larousse Gastronomique, the encyclopedia of French cooking.

    Mon Dieu! Will Newfound Popularity Spoil the Dainty Macaron? Julie Jargon 2010

  • If one macaron is heaven, how on earth can you describe an enormous pile of them?!

    une pièce montée 2008

  • The word macaron comes from "the Italian maccherone and the Venetian macarone (meaning fine paste), from which macaroni is also derived," says Larousse Gastronomique, the encyclopedia of French cooking.

    Mon Dieu! Will Newfound Popularity Spoil the Dainty Macaron? Julie Jargon 2010

  • I lost my macaron virginity at Laduree, and while I have no regrets, that Hevin macaron looks pretty incroyable.

    A dreamy monday morning at the Salon du Chocolat.. Michele 2005

  • Hi Molly, yes the Hevin macaron was wonderful, but of course I have no others to compare it to, so I will have to continue my taste testing and next on my list is Laduree.

    A dreamy monday morning at the Salon du Chocolat.. Michele 2005

  • More recently, the macaron has been a hallmark of Ladurée, a small, 148-year-old chain of Parisian tea salons and pastry shops that packs its macarons in small pastel-colored boxes.

    Mon Dieu! Will Newfound Popularity Spoil the Dainty Macaron? Julie Jargon 2010

  • More recently, the macaron has been a hallmark of Ladurée, a small, 148-year-old chain of Parisian tea salons and pastry shops that packs its macarons in small pastel-colored boxes.

    Mon Dieu! Will Newfound Popularity Spoil the Dainty Macaron? Julie Jargon 2010

Comments

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  • A French pastry made from egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. Not to be confused with macaroon.

    October 28, 2008

  • There is no pastry that's better!

    May 23, 2012