marzipan means A confection made from a paste of almonds, sugar and egg white as a binder.
marzipan is pronounced /ˌmɑːzɪˈpæn/.
Why “marzipan” is a great word
A confection made from a sweet paste of ground almonds, sugar, and egg white, molded into shapes or used as icing. From German *Marzipan*, from Italian *marzapane*, Venetian *marzapane*, likely influenced by *pane* ("bread") and derived from Arabic مَرْطَبَان (*marṭabān*, "spice box"), itself from the name of the Burmese port Martaban, known for spice exports. Unlike fondant, a pliable sugar cloak without substance, or nougat, a robust tangle of honey and nuts, marzipan is dense, luxuriant clay. It is the cool, smooth weight of a miniature fruit in the palm; the precise almond scent rising from a sliced cake; the uncanny pastel menagerie under a patisserie’s glass—a sweet arithmetic of permanence molded from edible stone, carrying in its grain the ghost of distant spice routes.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Marzipan, from Italian marzapane, Venetan marzapane. Believed to be, with influence from pane (“bread”), derived from Arabic مَرْطَبَان (marṭabān, “spice box”) which comes from the name of a Burmese port known for its spice exports, Martaban, now called in Burmese မုတ္ထမ (muthta.ma.).
noun
- A confection made from a paste of almonds, sugar and egg white as a binder.
- A similar confection made using another nut, such as peanut or hazelnut.
- A piece of such a confection.
verb
- To cover with marzipan.e.g.“a marzipanned cake”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- persipan 60% match — A substance similar to marzipan, but produced from peach or apricot pits instead of almonds. vs marzipan →
- frangipane 59% match — A cream made from ground almonds used in confectionery vs marzipan →
- praline 57% match — A confection made from almonds and other nuts, caramelized sugar, and sometimes milk or cream. vs marzipan →
- banket 56% match — A sweet almond dessert pastry that originated in the Netherlands. vs marzipan →
- alcorza 54% match — A paste of sugar and starch, used in making sweets. vs marzipan →
- hardbake 54% match — A hard confection made of boiled brown sugar or molasses with almonds, flavoured with orange or lemon juice, similar to a nougat. vs marzipan →
- calisson 53% match — A Provençal diamond-shaped confection made with ground almonds. vs marzipan →
- malmsey 53% match — A sweet fortified wine made in Madeira, originally from the malvasia grape. vs marzipan →