donut

See also: dónut

English

Alternative forms

• doughnut

Etymology

Alteration of doughnut, from dough +‎ nut. Attested 1900.

Pronunciation

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈdoʊnət/, /ˈdoʊˌnʌt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

donut (plural donuts)

1. (Canada, US) A deep-fried piece of dough or batter, commonly made in a toroidal or ellipsoidal shape, and mixed with various sweeteners and flavors, sometimes filled with jelly, custard or cream.
   • 1900, George Wilbur Peck, Peck’s bad boy and his pa, Stanton and Van Vliet, p. 107:

     …Pa said he guessed he hadn’t got much appetite, and he would just drink a cup of coffee and eat a donut.

2. (Canada, US) Anything in the shape of a torus
3. (Canada, US, automobile) a peel-out or skid-mark in the shape of donut; a 360-degree skid.
4. (Canada, US) A spare tire, smaller and less durable than a full-sized tire, only intended for temporary use.
5. A toroidal cushion typically used by hemorrhoid patients.

Usage notes

This spelling was rare until 1950s, increasingly popular since then, possibly influenced by spread of Dunkin' Donuts (founded 1950).

Translations

deep-fried piece of dough — see doughnut

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French

Noun

donut m (plural donuts)

1. doughnut (deep-fried piece of dough or batter)

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Portuguese

Noun

donut m (plural donuts)

1. doughnut (deep-fried piece of dough or batter)

Synonyms

• rosquinha

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Spanish

Noun

1. donut, doughnut