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Glite Dictionary
bear paw

bear paw

7.6
A sweet bun shaped like a bear's paw with almond filling
  • noun
  • /bɛr pɔ/
  • US
translation icon : pata de oso
  • The bear paw pastry was filled with almonds and sprinkled with sugar.

Examples

  • I ordered a fresh bear paw with my morning coffee at the bakery.

  • She brought a box of bear paws to the office for everyone to enjoy.

  • I love to eat a fresh bear paw with my coffee.

  • Have you ever tried a bear paw pastry?

  • I ordered a fresh bear paw with my morning coffee at the bakery.

  • The bear paw pastry was filled with almonds and sprinkled with sugar.

  • She brought a box of bear paws to the office for everyone to enjoy.

Synonyms

bear claw
vsbear paw
  • US
4 2.9

A sweet yeast pastry shaped like a semicircle with slits

has an irregular semicircle shape rather than a neat semicircle
bearpaw
vsbear paw
  • US
4.9

A sweet bun shaped like a bear's paw and often glazed

focuses on almond flavor and an irregular semicircle shape rather than glaze toppings

Surface Forms

bear paw singular
bear paws plural

Morphology

bear + paw

The components 'bear' + 'paw' transparently suggest something shaped like a bear's paw, so learners can infer a shape-based referent from the constituents. However, the fact that the phrase denotes a specific almond‑flavored yeast pastry (i.e. a food item) rather than an animal part or other object is not predictable from the words alone, making the expression only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bear paw comes from the pastry's shape: bakers make a curved piece of dough and cut slits so it looks like a bear's paw. That's why the name now means a sweet, almond-filled 'pastry'.