Illustration of mignonette
- mignonette 1
mignonette
noun
mi·gnon·ette
ˌmin-yə-ˈnet 
1
: any of a genus (Reseda of the family Resedaceae, the mignonette family) of herbs
especially
: a garden annual (R. odorata) bearing racemes of fragrant whitish flowers
2
: a sauce made typically with vinegar, pepper, and herbs and served especially with oysters
Examples of mignonette in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Something to savor Start off with the Oysters West Coast and East Coast, served with red wine vinegar mignonette and lemon cocktail sauce, and the lavraki, served with horta and ladolemono sauce.
—
Amanda Mesa, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
The presentation comprises oysters with passion-fruit mignonette and the day’s crudo—yellowtail with avocado, say, or scallops in yuzu—and chilled lobsters, their silken claws already flawlessly denuded.
—The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2023
The city abounds with fine seafood towers, especially at Martini-minded restaurants above a certain price point, though there can be a sameness to them, a repetitive haze of mignonette and gently melting ice.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023
There’s an array of dressings and hot sauces, including a mouth-puckering homemade mignonette, and the oysters are glorious, a symphony of brine and richness, especially the Blue Points, mild and rich as salted butter, and the peachy sweetness of the Kumamotos.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2023
To start, an oyster crudo is paired with pineapple mignonette and lemongrass, while steak (or beet) tartare gets a Mexican spin with roasted jalapenos, pearl onions, watermelon radishes, and crispy tortillas.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2023
Farther uptown, the casual new Seafood Sally’s fuses Gulf Coast and Southeast Asian cooking in dishes like raw oysters with a Vietnamese mignonette and seafood boils with Viet-Cajun chili butter.
—Kate Donnelly, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2023
Those farms then grow the seed the rest of the way into the edible adults that can be shucked and served with mignonette sauce and a slice of lemon.
—Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Apr. 2023
Many restaurants serve fresh-shucked local oysters with a traditional mignonette or cocktail sauce, including F Street Station and Sullivan’s Steakhouse (320 W. Fifth Ave.).
—Mara Severin, Anchorage Daily News, 27 June 2021
Amanda Mesa, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
The presentation comprises oysters with passion-fruit mignonette and the day’s crudo—yellowtail with avocado, say, or scallops in yuzu—and chilled lobsters, their silken claws already flawlessly denuded.
—The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2023
The city abounds with fine seafood towers, especially at Martini-minded restaurants above a certain price point, though there can be a sameness to them, a repetitive haze of mignonette and gently melting ice.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023
There’s an array of dressings and hot sauces, including a mouth-puckering homemade mignonette, and the oysters are glorious, a symphony of brine and richness, especially the Blue Points, mild and rich as salted butter, and the peachy sweetness of the Kumamotos.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2023
To start, an oyster crudo is paired with pineapple mignonette and lemongrass, while steak (or beet) tartare gets a Mexican spin with roasted jalapenos, pearl onions, watermelon radishes, and crispy tortillas.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2023
Farther uptown, the casual new Seafood Sally’s fuses Gulf Coast and Southeast Asian cooking in dishes like raw oysters with a Vietnamese mignonette and seafood boils with Viet-Cajun chili butter.
—Kate Donnelly, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2023
Those farms then grow the seed the rest of the way into the edible adults that can be shucked and served with mignonette sauce and a slice of lemon.
—Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Apr. 2023
Many restaurants serve fresh-shucked local oysters with a traditional mignonette or cocktail sauce, including F Street Station and Sullivan’s Steakhouse (320 W. Fifth Ave.).
—Mara Severin, Anchorage Daily News, 27 June 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mignonette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
French mignonnette, from obsolete French, feminine of mignonnet dainty, from Middle French, from mignon darling
First Known Use
1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Mignonette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mignonette. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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