biscuit

noun

bis·​cuit ˈbi-skət How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
plural biscuits also biscuit
1
a
US : a small quick bread made from dough that has been rolled out and cut or dropped from a spoon
While both types of biscuit use the same handful of ingredients and are quick to prepare, drop biscuits don't rely on any of the finicky steps rolled biscuits require to get them just right.Sandra Wu
b
British : cookie
The children were divided into groups of five seated round a table and each one was given a chocolate biscuit.H. Colin Davis
2
: earthenware or porcelain after the first firing and before glazing
biscuit china

called also bisque

3
a
: a light grayish-yellowish brown
b
: a grayish yellow
4
woodworking : a small, flat oval of compressed wood that is glued into slots cut into the sides of two boards which are to be joined in order to increase the strength of the resulting bond
Have several clamps at the ready; then add glue to the biscuits, push them into the maple slots, and clamp the maple in place. The dry, compressed biscuits swell once glue is applied, so you have to work quickly.Mike McClintock
compare tenon entry 1
5
slang : a hockey puck
To control the biscuit, you've got to win faceoffs.Lindsay Berra
biscuity adjective

see also take the biscuit

Did you know?

Long ago it was often a problem to keep food from spoiling, especially on long journeys. One way to preserve flat loaves of bread was to bake them a second time in order to dry them out. In early French, this bread was called pain bescuit or “bread twice-cooked.” Later the term was shortened to bescuit. The idea of being “twice–cooked” was lost as the term was used for any crisp flat bread or for bread made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The word was borrowed into Middle English as bisquite, but was later spelled biscuit on the model of the French spelling.

Examples of biscuit 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.
There were rows of Serbian snacks, such as biscuits and candies, and informational booths from local businesses run by Serbian transplants. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025 My grandmother served the preserves with toast or biscuits for breakfast. Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025 Her last Instagram post, on April 11, was a National Pet Day message from Keaton and her pooch posing at home with organic biscuits from her Keaton Collection with the home goods company Hudson Grace. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025 At River Roots, Paul takes those fist-sized biscuits and uses them to sandwich tender smoked chicken thighs from Parts & Labor catering and tangy, peppery Alabama white sauce. Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for biscuit

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bisquite, from Anglo-French besquit, from (pain) besquit twice-cooked bread

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of biscuit was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Biscuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biscuit. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

biscuit

noun
bis·​cuit ˈbis-kət How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
plural biscuits also biscuit
1
: a crisp flat baked product
especially, British : cracker sense 2
2
: a small light bread made with baking powder or baking soda
Etymology

Middle English bisquite "biscuit," from early French bescuit (same meaning), from earlier pain bescuit "bread twice-cooked"

Word Origin
Long ago it was often a great problem to keep food from spoiling, especially on long journeys. One way to preserve the flat loaves of bread made then was to bake them a second time in order to dry them out. In early French, this bread was known as pain bescuit or "bread twice-cooked." Later the term came to be shortened to just bescuit. The idea of being "twice-cooked" was lost as the term was used for any crisp, dry, flat bread product or for a type of bread made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The word was borrowed into Middle English as bisquite but later came to be spelled biscuit on the model of the French spelling.

Medical Definition

biscuit

noun
bis·​cuit ˈbis-kət How to pronounce biscuit (audio)
: porcelain after the first firing and before glazing

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