croissant
/kʁwa.sɑ̃/masculine
The English phrase croissant translates to the French noun croissant.
A croissant is a flaky roll or pastry in a form of a crescent.
Meaning: a flaky roll or pastry in a form of a crescent (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word croissant is the present participle of the verb croître (to grow) and literally means 'increasing' or 'crescent-shaped'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the noun is masculine, you must use the masculine indefinite article 'un' rather than the feminine 'une'.
How do you pronounce it?
/kʁwa.sɑ̃/
Did you know?
- While the name implies it is a native French pastry, the croissant actually has Austrian origins, tracing back to the 'kipferl' bread.
- The word croissant is also the standard French term for a 'waxing moon', referring to the moon as it grows in size.
- The word shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'increase'.
Examples in context
- Prends un croissant !Have a croissant.Tatoeba #7694563 by sacredceltic, translation #2245538 by CK
- Thomas trempa son croissant dans son café.Tom dipped his croissant into his coffee.Tatoeba #6096588 by Blabla, translation #10466983 by sundown
- Une tasse de café et un croissant, s'il vous plaît.A cup of coffee and a croissant, please.Tatoeba #11378843 by lbdx, translation #10567964 by sundown
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are at a bakery.
- LucasJe voudrais un croissant, s'il vous plaît.I would like a croissant, please.
- ChloéBien sûr, Lucas. Autre chose ?Of course, Lucas. Anything else?
- LucasNon, ce croissant sera parfait.No, this croissant will be perfect.
- ChloéVoici votre croissant, Chloé vous attend dehors.Here is your croissant, Chloé is waiting for you outside.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “croissant” translations and entries croissant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries croissant, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.