doughnut

dough-nut · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A small fried cake of sweetened dough, typically in the shape of a ring or ball, often topped with icing or filled with jam or cream.

  2. 2.

    Something shaped like a ring or torus.

Forms

plural: doughnuts

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    doughnut hole — the center piece from a ring doughnut; also a gap in insurance coverage

Related words

See also: dessert, donut, pastry
Synonyms: donut

Etymology

Compound of dough + nut, referring to the small, rounded shape of the original deep-fried dough balls. First recorded in the early 19th century.