madeleine

noun

mad·​e·​leine ˈma-də-lən  ˌma-də-ˈlān 

1

: a small rich shell-shaped cake

2

: one that evokes a memory

Did you know?

The Madeleine Goes Back to France

The madeleine is said to have been named after a 19th-century French cook named Madeleine Paumier, but it was the French author Marcel Proust who immortalized the pastry in his 1913 book Swann's Way, the first volume of his seven-part novel Remembrance of Things Past. In that work, a taste of tea-soaked cake evokes a surge of memory and nostalgia. As more and more readers chewed on the profound mnemonic power attributed to a mere morsel of cake, the word madeleine itself became a designation for anything that evokes a memory.

Examples of madeleine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stepping back out into the rain, across the main entrance and up the elevator, the crowd entered penthouse 64, where a spread of chocolate bark, madeleines and canelés awaited. —Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Nov. 2025

And in an outcome that felt predetermined, Jasmine won the final despite coming in third in the technical, a madeleine-tower challenge. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

The technical challenge, which focused on ombre madeleines, proved challenging for all three. —Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

Another recommendation: Don’t sleep on the plump and flavorful madeleines ($5). —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, perhaps from Madeleine Paumier, 19th century French pastry cook

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for madeleine

• businessmen
• councilmen
• henequen
• julienne
• middlemen
• minutemen
• motormen
• patrolmen
• repairmen
• saracen
• signalmen
• again

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!