Skip to main content
French pastry

French pastry

2 3.2
A sweet baked treat from France often filled with cream or jam
  • noun
  • /frɛntʃ ˈpeɪstri/
translation icon : pastelería francesa
  • It's so hard to pick, but this week I'd say my favorite illustration is actually not a dress, but rather the scrumptious drawing she did of the platters of pastel-colored macarons and decadent French pastries.
  • French pastry chef
  • French pastry shop

Examples

  • Wonderful French pastries.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You may love French pastries and open up a bakery, but if no one in your area craves croissants, your shop will flop.

    Blog text (21)
  • He is, at present, torn by a silver tray of small French pastries.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The guests nibble on French pastry while enjoying the beautiful garden view.

  • At the bakery, I always choose a French pastry for breakfast, especially the almond croissant.

  • She surprised her friends with a homemade French pastry filled with cream and berries.

Synonyms

tart
vsFrench pastry
93 1.6

A small open pastry filled with fruit or custard

is the broader category rather than this single open filled dessert form
pastry
vsFrench pastry
90 1.0

A baked item like a croissant or tart that people often eat with coffee

is the specific French sweet subgroup known for delicate texture and rich flavor
croissant
vsFrench pastry
47 2.5

A rich, buttery, flaky pastry shaped like a crescent

is the wider category including both plain and filled French sweet goods
puff
vsFrench pastry
37 2.3

A light hollow pastry often filled with cream

is the broader category covering many French sweet baked goods and desserts
galette
vsFrench pastry
2 7.4

A flat round pastry with a sweet or savory filling baked without a pan

is the general French dessert group that also includes more delicate items
flan
vsFrench pastry
  • UK
1 3.4

An open pastry like a tart with a sweet or savory filling

is the larger category focused on delicate French sweet baked goods
napoleon
vsFrench pastry
  • US
1 6.5

A pastry of thin, flaky layers filled with sweet cream

is the broader category for such layered sweet French desserts
religieuse
vsFrench pastry
9.9

A French pastry of two stacked cream puffs filled with cream and covered in icing

is the general category for similar sweet desserts from France
chou
vsFrench pastry
9.9

A small round pastry filled with sweet cream that is light and airy

is the general category for such small filled sweet desserts from France
choux
vsFrench pastry
8.2

A small round pastry made from light dough and often filled with cream

is the general category for such small filled sweet desserts from France

How Rich

gateau
1 7.2
French pastry
2 3.2
croissant
47 2.5
cookie
  • US
774 1.0

Surface Forms

French pastry singular

Morphology

French + pastry

The phrase 'French pastry' is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'French' (relating to France) + 'pastry' (a baked sweet), so the meaning ‘a pastry from France’ is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional and cross-linguistically common pattern makes the MWE immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

French pastry comes from a simple picture: French bakers learned to fold butter into dough many times to make thin, flaky layers that melt in your mouth. So French pastry now means 'a sweet, delicate baked good from France'.