fondant

English

Etymology 1

a fondant ("candy"), filled with fondant ("creamy sugar preparation")

a flower made from rolled fondant sheets

a frosted cake covered with ribbons made from rolled fondant sheets

19th century. From French fondant (“melting”), from fondre (“to melt”), from Latin fundere (“to melt”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfɒndənt/, /fɒnˈdɒnt/, /fɒ̃ˈdɒ̃/, /fɔ̃ˈdɒ̃/
- Audio (UK) (file)
Rhymes: -ɒnt

Noun

fondant (countable and uncountable, plural fondants)

(usually uncountable) A flavored, creamy sugar preparation, used for icing cakes or as a base for candies.
- 2011, David Jones, Candy Making For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:
  To produce most types of fondant, you cook sugar, corn syrup, and water and beat the cooled mixture into a creamy paste. You may find a fondant recipe that includes other ingredients, but the three primary ingredients are the ones listed here.
(countable) A candy or cake filled with such a preparation.
- 2005, Georgina Campbell, Irish Country House Cooking: The Blue Book Recipe Collection (page 62)
  At Chapter One, these chocolate fondants are served restaurant-style with a crème brulée ravioli and an unusual basil ice cream as well as the warm sauce given.
(food) A sugar dough, usually prepared as large sheets (rolled fondant), used in place of icing to cover large areas of cakes, composed of sugar, water, gelatin, glycerine.
- 2012, Kathryn Williams, Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous, Henry Holt and Company (BYR) (→ISBN), page 182:
  Stan made a heroic attempt at a tiered cinnamon cake with a rolled fondant icing that came out gray and tore when he draped it over the cake.
(usually uncountable) Fondue.
fondant chocolate
fondant cheese
- 2010, Paul Karr, Frommer's Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, →ISBN:
  Start with a Cortland apple salad, beets with goat cheese fondant, […]
(usually uncountable) The base or flux, in enamel, which is colored throughout by metallic oxide while in a state of fusion.
(slang) Facial makeup (cosmetics), when used excessively.

Derived terms

chocolate fondant
fondant icing
fondant potato
pommes fondant

Related terms

fondue

Translations

flavored sugar preparation

Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: karamellitäyte
German: Fondant (de) m or n
Polish: pomadka (pl) f
Russian: пома́дная ма́сса (pomádnaja mássa), пома́дка (ru) (pomádka)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

The blue bird on the yellow background (towards the bottom of the shield) is fondant; the yellow bird on the blue background is montant.

Adjective

fondant (not comparable)

(heraldry) Stooping, as for prey: said of an eagle, a falcon, etc.

Dutch