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café au lait

noun ca·fé au lait \ (ˌ)ka-ˈfā-ō-ˈlā \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of café au lait

1 : coffee with usually hot milk in about equal parts

2 : the color of coffee with milk

Recent Examples of café au lait from the Web

Meg and Charles Wallace look and act eerily like my 12-year-old niece and 6-year-old nephew, right down to their cafe au lait complexions.

— elizabeth wellington, Philly.com, "Ignore the critics: Take your children to see 'A Wrinkle in Time' | Elizabeth Wellington," 13 Mar. 2018
Do still go to Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone and Cafe Du Monde, and definitely order the frozen cafe au lait at the latter.

— cnt editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Essential Things to Know Before You Visit New Orleans," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'café au lait.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of café au lait

French, coffee with milk

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First Known Use: 1763

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