madeleine
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madeleine¹
- /ˈmad(ə)lɪn/ UK
- /ˈmad(ə)lɛn/ UK
- /ˈmædələn/ US
- /ˌmædəˈleɪn/ US
Where it comes from
Unadapted borrowing from French madeleine, from earlier gâteau à la Madeleine, after the given name Madeleine (“Magdalene”), of uncertain reference: attributed in some sources to a 19th-century pastry cook Madeleine Paulmier, whose existence is now considered dubious.
In sense 2, used with reference to the cake's function in the extract below, taken from Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time.
noun madeleines
- A French type of small gateau or sponge cake, often shaped like an elongated scallop shell. And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray […] my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane.
- Something which brings back a memory; a source of nostalgia or evocative memories. The Robe was thus fixed in my mind as a symbol, and in my memory as a madeleine, of Jewish evil.
Madeleine²
- /ˈmæd(ə)lɪn/
- /ˈmædəlaɪn/
Where it comes from
From French Madeleine. Doublet of Magdalene.
proper noun
- A female given name from French, variant of Madeline. "We've been making up the most glamorous names for you, Marguerite and Marlene and Madeleine―" "And Melanie and Marianne and Marietta," put in Jane.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: marie, magdalene, magdalen, madeline, sophie, medellin, islands, maddalena, teacake, genoise, cupcake, pastry, cake, spongecake, memento, souvenir
Translations
Every language
noun small gateau in the shape of a scallop shell
| Español | magdalena |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 마들렌 madeullen |
| 日本語 | マドレーヌ madorēnu |
| 中文 | 瑪德蓮蛋糕 /玛德莲蛋糕 Mǎdélián dàngāo |
| Português | madalena, madeleine |
| Français | madeleine |
| Deutsch | Madeleine |
| Italiano | madeleine, maddalena |
| Ελληνικά | μανταλένα mantaléna |
| Русский | мадле́н madlén |
| Tiếng Việt | bánh mađơlen, mađơlen |
| עברית | עוּגִיַּת מָדְלֶן ugiyát madlén, מָדְלֶן madlén |
Talk about this word "madeleine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/madeleine. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. madeleine. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/madeleine "madeleine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/madeleine.Cite this
@misc{madeleine_2026,
title = {madeleine},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/madeleine},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
