omelet

noun

om·​e·​let ˈäm-lət How to pronounce omelet (audio)
ˈä-mə-
variants or omelette
: beaten eggs cooked without stirring until set and served folded in half
Her omelet had a filling of cheese, peppers, and meat.

Examples of omelet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More Than Biscuits Besides offering biscuits, its menu includes omelets and eggs with bacon, grits and sausage. —Gary Stern, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 Mushrooms are great in omelets for breakfast, can top a veggie burger for lunch, are indispensable in salads, or can be sautéed with other veggies for dinner. —Nancy Lebrun, Verywell Health, 11 Oct. 2024 That means cheese, everything but the kitchen sink-style omelets and chia seed pudding for the toddler. —Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 11 Sep. 2024 Gabriel’s burn leaves Emily no choice but to unpack all his groceries and cook an omelet for him. —Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for omelet 

Word History

Etymology

French omelette, alteration of Middle French amelette, alemette, alteration of alemelle thin plate, ultimately from Latin lamella, diminutive of lamina

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of omelet was circa 1611

Phrases Containing omelet

Dictionary Entries Near omelet

omegoid

omelet

omen

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Omelet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omelet. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

omelet

noun
om·​elet
variants also omelette
ˈäm-(ə-)lət
: beaten eggs cooked without stirring and served folded in half
Etymology

from French omelette "omelet," derived from early French amelette, alemette, altered forms of alemelle "omelet," literally, "knife blade, thin plate," derived from la lemelle (same meaning), derived from Latin lamella "a small thin metal plate," from lamina "a thin plate"

Word Origin
Although the word omelet bears little resemblance to Latin lamina, the shape of an omelet does resemble a thin plate, which is what lamina, the ultimate source of omelet, means. The Latin noun lamella, a diminutive form of lamina, became lemelle "blade of a knife" in medieval French. La lemelle "the blade" was misinterpreted as l'alemelle, and so the word gained an initial vowel. In later French, alemelle or alumelle was altered (by substituting the suffix -ette for the suffix -elle) into allumette, which acquired the meaning "dish made with beaten eggs" (such a dish resembling a thin plate or blade). After a later alteration to omelette the word found its way into English.

More from Merriam-Webster on omelet

Nglish: Translation of omelet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of omelet for Arabic Speakers

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