petit four

noun pe·tit four \ ˌpe-tē-ˈfȯr , pə-ˌtē- , -ˈfu̇r \

|Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of petit four

plural petits fours or petit fours play \ˌpe-tē-ˈfȯrz, pə-ˌtē-, -ˈfu̇r(z)\

: a small cake cut from pound or sponge cake and frosted

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Recent Examples of petit four from the Web

Fresh grapes and assorted fruit, an outstanding assortment of cheeses, jambalaya, pastries and petit fours and bread pudding with assorted sauces including caramel whiskey cream, bananas Foster, dark chocolate rum and white chocolate.

— ann benoit, NOLA.com, "Taste of Covington takes guests on world tour of food and spirits," 6 May 2018
Fans of the sweet little Japanese fictional character will be able to satisfy their sweet tooth with giant Hello Kitty cookies, 3-piece boxed cookie sets, 5-piece macaron box sets and 4-piece petit fours box sets.

— luann gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "OMG: Hello Kitty food truck coming to Cincinnati," 18 Apr. 2018
Jessica Cole, always had the urge to bring people together over petit fours and saucers.

— ella riley-adams, Vogue, "Sativa and Scones: Attending a High (Yes, That Kind of High) Tea in Los Angeles," 5 Feb. 2018
Desserts range from homemade rhubarb and apple pie and petit fours for adults and homemade brownies for kids.

— donald liebenson, Lake County News-Sun, "Step into the past at High Tea with Gerri," 14 Dec. 2017
Mocha-chocolate petit fours, each topped with a fresh raspberry, were among the pastry offerings.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Northeast Ohio's best weekend brunches & breakfasts: Alley Cat in the Flats," 4 Nov. 2017
At Madcap the price is $7 for four bite-sized cubes that look like petit fours layered with almond cake, the liver mousse, hibiscus gelee and a flower garnish.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "The best cooking in Marin? It’s at the new Madcap in San Anselmo," 3 Nov. 2017
And with petit fours and a pink fan by her side, Grimes certainly looked ready for any spectral function.

— rachel hahn, Vogue, "In Romantic Rodarte, Grimes Unleashes Her Inner Elf Wraith," 26 Oct. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of petit four

French, literally, small oven

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First Known Use: 1875

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PETIT FOUR Defined for English Language Learners

petit four

noun

Definition of petit four for English Language Learners

: a very small cake that is decorated with frosting

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