fastnacht
1
9.9
A fried sweet dough like a doughnut that people eat the day before Lent
- noun
- /ˈfæstnɑːxt/
- US
:
fastnacht
- On Shrove Tuesday, we traditionally enjoy fastnacht to celebrate the start of Lent.
Examples
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In my town, everyone looks forward to the annual festival where they serve delicious fastnacht.
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For example, if we celebrate Fastnacht in Cologne or Mainz.
Blog text (16) -
Every year, my grandmother makes homemade fastnacht that we enjoy with coffee on Shrove Tuesday.
Synonyms
1
9.3
A small round fried cake with a hole in the middle, like a doughnut
is a traditional Shrove Tuesday cake tied to a specific cultural community
Surface Forms
fastnacht singular
fastnachts plural
Etymology
The word fastnacht comes from two German parts, fast ('to fast', to not eat) and nacht ('night'), so it means the 'night before the fast'. That's why in Pennsylvania Dutch communities a fastnacht is a special doughnut eaten on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent.