bisque English · revision 1496

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=borrowing|attested=1647}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /bɪsk/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Three words are spelled ''bisque''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) The soup is [[bor|fr|bisque|t=a kind of rich stew]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) of uncertain origin.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(RHWU) It has been said to come from [[fr|Biscaye|t=Biscay]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995) from a cooking pot,^(Etymonline) from [[biscuit]] because the ingredients were cooked several times,^(Etymonline) or from Norman dialect ''bisque'' “bad drink”.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A rich soup or stew, first spelled ''bisk'' (1647 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster; 1640s in Etymonline, meaning a soup pot).^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Early uses suggest that the word may first have been the name of the cooking pot, and it was sometimes rendered “tureen soup”.^(Etymonline) The modern puréed soup, especially of shellfish such as crayfish, dates from the mid-19th century.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) The spelling ''bisque'' is recorded from 1731.^(Barnhart 1995) A second word ''bisque'', from French, is an advantage given to a weaker player, such as a point taken at will in real tennis (1611), an extra turn in croquet or a stroke in golf;^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) the French form ''biscaye'' has suggested a link with the Basques' skill at a kind of tennis.^(Weekley 1921) A third ''bisque'' is a shortening of [[biscuit]], unglazed white pottery or porcelain (1664),^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) which also gave the name of a pale pinkish-brown colour (1887 in Merriam-Webster Unabridged; 1922 in the OED).^(MWU 2024)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1611 – a free point in real tennis.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1647 – ''bisk'', a rich soup.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1664 – unglazed pottery.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1731 – the spelling ''bisque''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * mid-19th century – a puréed soup.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1887 – a pinkish-brown colour.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A thick, rich cream [[soup]] made from shellfish, meat or fish, or from puréed vegetables.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Ice cream mixed with crushed macaroons or nuts.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # Unglazed white pottery or [[porcelain]]; [[biscuit]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A pale pinkish-brown or orange-yellow colour.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An advantage allowed a weaker player, such as a free point in tennis, an extra turn in [[croquet]] or an extra stroke in golf.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[biscuit]]

+ * [[chowder]]

+ * [[consommé]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}