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pavlova

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pavlova¹

  • /pævˈləʊvə/ UK
  • /pɛvˈlɐʉvə/ New Zealand
  • /pævˈləʉvə/ Australia
  • /pævˈloʊvə/ US
  • /pɑvˈloʊvə/ US
  • /ˈpævləvə/ US

Rhymes with -əʊvə, -ævləvə

Where it comes from

From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the name. According to research undertaken by the Oxford English Dictionary, however, the earliest known attestation for the term is from New Zealand in 1927.

noun pavlovas · Pavlova

  1. Australia, New Zealand, countable, uncountable A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream. The pavlova — rich in whipped cream and ice-cream — is a wonderful dessert that should appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth.

Pavlova²

  • /pævˈləʊvə/ UK
  • /pævˈloʊvə/
  • /pɑvˈloʊvə/
  • /ˈpævləvə/
  • /ˈpɑvləvə/

Rhymes with -əʊvə, -ævləvə, -ɑːvləvə

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov).

proper noun Pavlovas

  1. A transliteration of the Russian surname Па́влова (Pávlova), the feminine variant of Pavlov. "YOU WRITE TO MOSCOW": NINA PAVLOVA REVIEWS LISTENERS MAIL. […] LISTENER IS TOLD THAT THERE ARE TWO PAVLOVAS IN BRITISH SECTION -⁠- NINA AND GALINA, AN ANNOUNCER.
  2. Anna Pavlova (Russian ballet dancer). LADIES’ DOUBLES “PAVLOVAS.” […] The winners, who literally danced their way into the final, were dubbed the two Pavlovas.
  3. A female surname from Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, or Slovak, masculine equivalent Pavlov.
  4. A female surname from Czech or Slovak, masculine equivalent Pavel.

noun Pavlovas

  1. countable, uncountable Alternative letter-case form of pavlova What about making and freezing one or two Pavlovas topped with an orange curd filling for a simple dessert?

Translations

Every language

noun meringue dessert

日本語パブロワ Paburowa
中文奶油水果蛋白餅 /奶油水果蛋白饼 nǎiyóu shuǐguǒ dànbáibǐng
РусскийПа́влова Pávlova

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MLA

"pavlova." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pavlova. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pavlova. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pavlova

Chicago

"pavlova." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pavlova.

BibTeX
@misc{pavlova_2026,
  title = {pavlova},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pavlova},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}