filet
pronunciation
How to pronounce filet in British English:
UK [fɪ'leɪ]
How to pronounce filet in American English:
US [fɪ'leɪ]
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- Noun:
- a boneless steak cut from the tenderloin of beef
- a longitudinal slice or boned side of a fish
- lace having a square mesh
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- Verb:
- decorate with a lace of geometric designs
- cut into filets
Word Origin
- filet (n.)
- 1841 in cookery, reborrowing from French of the same word that had been taken 14c. and anglicized as fillet (q.v.). Filet mignon is attested as a French word in English from 1815. The 'Chateaubriand,' the 'entrecôte,' and the 'filet mignon' (of mutton), with other forms, are all due to the more enlarged sympathies of the French butcher for what is perfect. We must entirely change the mode of cutting up the carcase before we can arrive at the same perfection in form of meat purchasable, and as that is hopeless, so is it useless to insist further on the subject on behalf of the public. ["The Kitchen and the Cellar," "Quarterly Review," April 1877]
Example
- 1. Yes , we 'd both like filet mignon .
- 2. We have very good filet mignon today . Would you like to try ?
- 3. He also quoted gawande as calling the americanhealth care system " a menu without prices from which you can order filet mignon every day . "
- 4. Since then , both the u.n. and environmental nongovernmental organizations , including , not surprisingly , vegetarian groups , have touted the environmental as well as the health benefits of avoiding filet mignon and hamburgers .
- 5. They feasted us on filet mignon and strawberry shortcake .