filet mignon

12 7.7

A small, very tender steak cut from the thick end of beef tenderloin

noun
/fɪˈleɪ mɪnˈjɒn/

: filet mignon

If you enjoy fine dining, you must try the filet mignon; it's incredibly tender and flavorful.
grilled filet mignon
filet mignon and lobster
filet mignon steak

So now we are ready to serve our man the filet mignon.

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Examples

Tonight we have filet mignon, veal parmesan, baked Alaska, chicken cacciatore, and mac and cheese.

The Messengers (2007)
For the main course, I had a great filet mignon.

Blog text (5)
We'll be eating filet mignon all night long.

Halloween Heroes (2021)
Are we talking filet mignon, or what?

Woman of the Hour (2024)
We also have a filet mignon.

The Big Wedding (2013)
- Do you want the filet mignon?

In the Woods (1999)
The young lady wants a filet mignon.

Juwanna Mann (2002)
What I want's a filet mignon, cheese, and some champagne.

Malibu Express (1985)
I have the filet mignon with some shrimp, some potatoes and then also the zucchini pepper sofrito.
So it comes with eight ounce filet mignon, two eggs, country potatoes or hash Browns.

Synonyms

steak

vsfilet mignon

474 1.0

A thick slice of meat, usually beef, that people cook to eat

is a specific small, tender luxury portion rather than a general meat slice

filet

vsfilet mignon

32 3.9

A boneless piece of meat or fish prepared for cooking

is a particular small tender steak cut from the thick end of the loin

mignon

vsfilet mignon

Specialized

18 8.2

A small, tender piece of meat often served as a special dish

is the specific small tender piece from the thick end of the loin

beef tenderloin

vsfilet mignon

3 3.2

A cut of beef from the loin that is very tender and used for steaks

is the particular thick end used to make the small tender delicacy

Delmonico steak

vsfilet mignon

1 6.7

A small tender steak cut from the front of the cow's back served as a luxury dish

is a different small tender cut taken from the thick end of the loin

How Tender

filet mignon

12 7.7

ribeye

8 2.9

sirloin

11 2.9

flank steak

4 3.2

Surface Forms

filet mignon singular

filet mignons plural

Morphology

filet + mignon

The compound is directly compositional: 'filet' = a boneless piece of meat and 'mignon' = small/tender, so together they denote a small, tender fillet/steak. Although the phrase is a French borrowing and retains French word order, the culinary meaning is transparent and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Filet mignon comes from French where filet is a small cut of meat and mignon means 'cute' or 'dainty', giving the image of a small, delicate piece. So, the name is used for a very tender, often expensive steak.