"French donut" means an american regional term for a beignet — the square, deep-fried dough pastry heavily dusted with powdered sugar and associated with new orleans cuisine. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
French donut
An American regional term for a beignet — the square, deep-fried dough pastry heavily dusted with powdered sugar and associated with New Orleans cuisine.
Definitions
An American regional term for a beignet — the square, deep-fried dough pastry heavily dusted with powdered sugar and associated with New Orleans cuisine. The name reflects the French culinary heritage of Louisiana. 'French donut' is an accessible way to describe the pastry to people unfamiliar with the word beignet.
He always stopped for French donuts and cafe au lait whenever he passed through New Orleans.
"French donut" means an american regional term for a beignet — the square, deep-fried dough pastry heavily dusted with powdered sugar and associated with new orleans cuisine. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"French donut" is informal English meaning an american regional term for a beignet — the square, deep-fried dough pastry heavily dusted with powdered sugar and associated with new orleans cuisine. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "an american regional term for a beignet — the square" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "French donut" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.
Comments
(US) A beignet.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Semantically related
- beignet81%
(US) A Louisiana-style fried doughnut or fritter covered in powdered sugar.
- doughnut66%
A deep-fried piece of dough or batter, usually mixed with various sweeteners and flavors, often made in a toroidal or ellipsoidal shape flattened sphere shape filled with jelly/jam, custard or cream.
- friedcake66%
An American regional term for a small deep-fried pastry — essentially a doughnut or fritter by another name, common especially in the Midwest and Northeast. Friedcakes were a staple of early American baking, made by dropping spiced dough into hot fat and frying until golden. While 'doughnut' has largely taken over, friedcake persists in older cookbooks, rural dialects, and family recipe cards where it marks a connection to pre-industrial home cooking traditions.
- beignet63%
(UK) A fritter (with a fruit or vegetable filling).