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.
6. An idiot

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

donut m (plural donuts)

1. donut, doughnut