What does croissant mean?
A croissant is a crescent-shaped pastry roll made from laminated, yeasted dough folded repeatedly with butter so that it bakes into delicate, flaky layers. Of French origin but descended ultimately from the Austrian kipferl, it has become a staple of bakeries and cafés worldwide, where it is most commonly enjoyed at breakfast, often alongside coffee. The word functions as a countable noun with the standard English plural 'croissants', and it frequently appears in compound forms such as 'almond croissant' or 'croissant sandwich'. Because it is so closely associated with French cuisine and café culture, the word carries pleasant connotations of indulgence, leisure, and continental sophistication, making it a familiar and evocative term in both everyday speech and food writing.
nounA crescent-shaped roll of flaky, buttery, leavened pastry made from laminated dough, of French origin, typically eaten at breakfast.
- A crescent-shaped, flaky, buttery pastry roll of French origin, eaten especially at breakfast.
"She tore the warm croissant in half and let the flakes scatter across the plate."
"He picked up a still-warm croissant from the bakery on his way to work."
"The café's almond croissant, dusted with icing sugar, sold out before ten o'clock."
In English the standard plural is 'croissants'; some writers preserve the French plural spelling, but the anglicised form dominates in everyday usage.
"The bakery sells dozens of croissants every Saturday morning."
Despite its iconic French status, the croissant's earliest ancestor — the kipferl — is Austrian, and it only became the flaky Parisian classic we know in the early 20th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of croissant
Croissant is borrowed directly from French, where it literally means 'crescent', deriving from the verb croître ('to grow'), which comes from Latin crescere ('to grow, increase'). The pastry itself traces its ancestry to the Austrian kipferl, which reached France in the nineteenth century, while the modern flaky, butter-laminated version was developed by Parisian bakers in the early twentieth century. Its Latin root also underlies English words such as 'crescent', 'crescendo', and 'increase', all sharing the sense of growth or waxing shape.
How croissant is actually used
Croissant is a countable noun borrowed directly from French; the anglicised plural 'croissants' is standard in everyday use, though some speakers retain the French plural form. It carries connotations of café culture, leisurely breakfasts, and continental style, and appears frequently on menus as part of compound forms such as 'croissant sandwich' or 'almond croissant'.
Easily confused with croissant
A crescent roll is a soft American bread roll shaped like a crescent, whereas a croissant is made from laminated, layered yeast dough that bakes into a light, flaky texture.