petit four

Where does the word "petit four" come from? It comes from French petit four, and was adopted directly into English (1884).

Petit four’s story begins in French: petit four meant “a small oven.” Literally small oven, describing tiny cakes baked at a lower temperature after the main oven cooled. It reached English by 1884 as petit four. French 'small oven', from being baked in a cooling oven after the main baking. Today, petit four means a small, bite-sized cake or confection, often elaborately decorated.

1. Stage 1 · French · 1800s petit four "a small oven", literally small oven, describing tiny cakes baked at a lower temperature after the main oven cooled.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1884 petit four "a small, bite-sized decorated cake or confection", French 'small oven', from being baked in a cooling oven after the main baking.