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Glite Dictionary
napoleon

napoleon

1 6.5
A pastry of thin, flaky layers filled with sweet cream
  • noun
  • /nəˈpoʊliən/
  • US
translation icon : napoleón
  • She carefully layered the pastry to create a perfect napoleon topped with powdered sugar.

Examples

  • For dessert, we decided to order a napoleon filled with rich custard cream.

  • Hey, how about a napoleon?

    Marihuana (1936)

  • That is why to this day my cousin Pepino in the bakery... will not sell napoleons.

    Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007)

  • And Diane brought napoleons.

    American Hustle (2013)

  • The bakery has a variety of pastries, but the napoleon is their most popular item.

Synonyms

pastry
vsnapoleon
32 1.0

A dough of flour and fat that you use as a base for pies

is a layered ready to eat custard filled baked dessert
French pastry
vsnapoleon
2 3.2

A sweet baked treat from France often filled with cream or jam

is a specific rectangular flaky dessert filled with custard cream

How Flaky

napoleon
  • US
1 6.5
croissant
47 2.5

Surface Forms

napoleon singular
napoleons plural

Etymology

Napoleon for the creamy, layered pastry probably comes from the French napolitain, meaning 'from Naples', so it first described a pastry 'in the style of Naples'. One popular story links the name to the French leader Napoleon, but a helpful way to remember the word is to picture many thin, flaky layers filled with cream, which is exactly what a napoleon is.