madeleine

See also: Madeleine

English

WOTD – 6 May 2008

two madeleines

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French madeleine, from earlier gâteau à la Madeleine, after the given name Madeleine (“Magdalene”), of uncertain reference: attributed in some sources to a 19th-century pastry cook Madeleine Paulmier, whose existence is now considered dubious.

In sense 2, used with reference to the cake's function in the extract below, taken from Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmad(ə)lɪn/, /ˈmad(ə)lɛn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmædələn/, /ˌmædəˈleɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

madeleine (plural madeleines)

1. A French type of small gateau or sponge cake, often shaped like an elongated scallop shell.
   • 1981, C. K. Scott Moncrieff, Terence Kilmartin, transl., Swann's Way (In Search of Lost Time), Folio Society, translation of original by Marcel Proust, published 2005, page 44:

     And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray […] my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane.

   • 2003, Emily Luchetti, A Passion for Desserts, Chronicle Books, page 20:

     Madeleine batter can be made in advance and refrigerated.

2. (figuratively) Something which brings back a memory; a source of nostalgia or evocative memories.
   • 2001, James Carroll, Constantine's Sword, Houghton-Mifflin, page 223:

     The Robe was thus fixed in my mind as a symbol, and in my memory as a madeleine, of Jewish evil.

   • 2005, Roger Ebert, Rogert Ebert's Movie Yearbook, page 784:

     Every five years or so, in the middle of another task, I'll look at them and a particular cover will bring memory flooding back like a madeleine.

   • 2022 April 27, Spencer Kornhaber, “Coachella Defeated My Cynicism About Music Festivals”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     My madeleine moment happened early on Friday, while pot smoke drifted in the air as I waited for a shuttle to the polo fields where Coachella takes place.

Translations

small gateau in the shape of a scallop shell

• Afrikaans: madeleine
• Aragonese: madalena f
• Armenian: մադլեն (hy) (madlen)
• Asturian: madalena f
• Basque: madalena
• Catalan: magdalena (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瑪德蓮蛋糕 / 玛德莲蛋糕 (Mǎdélián dàngāo)

• Czech: madlenka f
• Esperanto: kuketo, konkoforma kuketo
• Estonian: madeleine (et)
• Finnish: madeleine, madeleine-leivos
• French: madeleine (fr) f
• Galician: magdalena f
• German: Madeleine f or n
• Greek: μανταλένα f (mantaléna)
• Hebrew: עוּגִיַּת מָדְלֶן f (ugiyát madlén), מָדְלֶן f (madlén)
• Hungarian: madeleine (hu)
• Ido: madeleno (io)
• Italian: madeleine f, maddalena f
• Japanese: マドレーヌ (madorēnu)
• Korean: 마들렌 (madeullen)
• Malagasy: madelenina (mg)
• Norwegian: madeleinekake f or m
• Persian: کیک مادلن (keyk mâdlen), مادلن (mâdlen)
• Polish: magdalenka (pl) f
• Portuguese: madalena (pt) f, madeleine f
• Russian: мадле́н m (madlén)
• Spanish: magdalena (es) f
• Swedish: madeleinekaka c
• Turkish: madlen (tr)
• Vietnamese: bánh mađơlen, mađơlen

Further reading

• “madeleine”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “madeleine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
• madeleine on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French madeleine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑdelɑi̯n/, [ˈmɑ̝de̞lɑ̝i̯n]
• Rhymes: -ɑdelɑin

Noun

madeleine

1. madeleine (small gateau in the shape of a scallop shell)

   Synonym: madeleine-leivos

Declension

Inflection of madeleine (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		madeleine	madeleinet
genitive		madeleinen	madeleinejen
partitive		madeleinea	madeleineja
illative		madeleineen	madeleineihin
		singular	plural
nominative		madeleine	madeleinet
accusative	nom.	madeleine	madeleinet
	gen.	madeleinen
genitive		madeleinen	madeleinejen madeleinein rare
partitive		madeleinea	madeleineja
inessive		madeleinessa	madeleineissa
elative		madeleinesta	madeleineista
illative		madeleineen	madeleineihin
adessive		madeleinella	madeleineilla
ablative		madeleinelta	madeleineilta
allative		madeleinelle	madeleineille
essive		madeleinena	madeleineina
translative		madeleineksi	madeleineiksi
abessive		madeleinetta	madeleineitta
instructive		—	madeleinein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of madeleine (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative madeleineni madeleineni accusative nom. madeleineni madeleineni gen. madeleineni genitive madeleineni madeleinejeni madeleineini rare partitive madeleineani madeleinejani inessive madeleinessani madeleineissani elative madeleinestani madeleineistani illative madeleineeni madeleineihini adessive madeleinellani madeleineillani ablative madeleineltani madeleineiltani allative madeleinelleni madeleineilleni essive madeleinenani madeleineinani translative madeleinekseni madeleineikseni abessive madeleinettani madeleineittani instructive — — comitative — madeleineineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative madeleinesi madeleinesi accusative nom. madeleinesi madeleinesi gen. madeleinesi genitive madeleinesi madeleinejesi madeleineisi rare partitive madeleineasi madeleinejasi inessive madeleinessasi madeleineissasi elative madeleinestasi madeleineistasi illative madeleineesi madeleineihisi adessive madeleinellasi madeleineillasi ablative madeleineltasi madeleineiltasi allative madeleinellesi madeleineillesi essive madeleinenasi madeleineinasi translative madeleineksesi madeleineiksesi abessive madeleinettasi madeleineittasi instructive — — comitative — madeleineinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative madeleinemme madeleinemme accusative nom. madeleinemme madeleinemme gen. madeleinemme genitive madeleinemme madeleinejemme madeleineimme rare partitive madeleineamme madeleinejamme inessive madeleinessamme madeleineissamme elative madeleinestamme madeleineistamme illative madeleineemme madeleineihimme adessive madeleinellamme madeleineillamme ablative madeleineltamme madeleineiltamme allative madeleinellemme madeleineillemme essive madeleinenamme madeleineinamme translative madeleineksemme madeleineiksemme abessive madeleinettamme madeleineittamme instructive — — comitative — madeleineinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative madeleinenne madeleinenne accusative nom. madeleinenne madeleinenne gen. madeleinenne genitive madeleinenne madeleinejenne madeleineinne rare partitive madeleineanne madeleinejanne inessive madeleinessanne madeleineissanne elative madeleinestanne madeleineistanne illative madeleineenne madeleineihinne adessive madeleinellanne madeleineillanne ablative madeleineltanne madeleineiltanne allative madeleinellenne madeleineillenne essive madeleinenanne madeleineinanne translative madeleineksenne madeleineiksenne abessive madeleinettanne madeleineittanne instructive — — comitative — madeleineinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative madeleinensa madeleinensa accusative nom. madeleinensa madeleinensa gen. madeleinensa genitive madeleinensa madeleinejensa madeleineinsa rare partitive madeleineaan madeleineansa madeleinejaan madeleinejansa inessive madeleinessaan madeleinessansa madeleineissaan madeleineissansa elative madeleinestaan madeleinestansa madeleineistaan madeleineistansa illative madeleineensa madeleineihinsa adessive madeleinellaan madeleinellansa madeleineillaan madeleineillansa ablative madeleineltaan madeleineltansa madeleineiltaan madeleineiltansa allative madeleinelleen madeleinellensa madeleineilleen madeleineillensa essive madeleinenaan madeleinenansa madeleineinaan madeleineinansa translative madeleinekseen madeleineksensa madeleineikseen madeleineiksensa abessive madeleinettaan madeleinettansa madeleineittaan madeleineittansa instructive — — comitative — madeleineineen madeleineinensa

French

Etymology

From earlier gâteau à la Madeleine, after the given name Madeleine (“Magdalene”), of uncertain reference: see more above.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mad.lɛn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

madeleine f (plural madeleines)

1. madeleine (small gateau in the shape of a scallop shell)
   • 1913, Marcel Proust, Du côté de chez Swann [Swann's Way] (À la recherche du temps perdu)‎^[2]:

     Et bientôt, machinalement, accablé par la morne journée et la perspective d’un triste lendemain, je portai à mes lèvres une cuillerée du thé où j’avais laissé s’amollir un morceau de madeleine.

     And soon, mechanically, weary after a dull day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake.

2. (figuratively) madeleine (something which brings back a memory)

   Synonym: madeleine de Proust

Derived terms

• pleurer comme une madeleine

Descendants

• → Catalan: magdalena
• → English: madeleine
• → German: Madeleine
• → Portuguese: madalena
• → Spanish: magdalena

Further reading

• “madeleine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.