omelet

noun

om·​e·​let ˈäm-lət How to pronounce omelet (audio)
ˈä-mə-
variants or omelette
: beaten eggs cooked without stirring until set and served folded in half
Her omelet had a filling of cheese, peppers, and meat.

Examples of omelet 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.
The cookbook author judging this omelet contest between Jimmy Fallon and Tariq Trotter was none other than Michael Ruhlman. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 June 2025 Guests of these two hotels have access to a private pool, a members-only Beach Club, and the Ocean Club, a posh living room and beachside outdoor patio where, one morning, my family had a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, a wild mushroom omelet, and eggs Benedict. Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2025 Some of these include a French omelet with goat cheese and chives, Mexican café de olla and breakfast dim sum. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025 The buffet is extensive with a massive salad bar, made to order omelets, and a large selection of Turkish teas. Kaila Yu, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for omelet

Word History

Etymology

French omelette, alteration of Middle French amelette, alemette, alteration of alemelle thin plate, ultimately from Latin lamella, diminutive of lamina

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of omelet was circa 1611

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Cite this Entry

“Omelet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omelet. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

omelet

noun
om·​elet
variants also omelette
ˈäm-(ə-)lət
: beaten eggs cooked without stirring and served folded in half
Etymology

from French omelette "omelet," derived from early French amelette, alemette, altered forms of alemelle "omelet," literally, "knife blade, thin plate," derived from la lemelle (same meaning), derived from Latin lamella "a small thin metal plate," from lamina "a thin plate"

Word Origin
Although the word omelet bears little resemblance to Latin lamina, the shape of an omelet does resemble a thin plate, which is what lamina, the ultimate source of omelet, means. The Latin noun lamella, a diminutive form of lamina, became lemelle "blade of a knife" in medieval French. La lemelle "the blade" was misinterpreted as l'alemelle, and so the word gained an initial vowel. In later French, alemelle or alumelle was altered (by substituting the suffix -ette for the suffix -elle) into allumette, which acquired the meaning "dish made with beaten eggs" (such a dish resembling a thin plate or blade). After a later alteration to omelette the word found its way into English.

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