■ noun
1》 Brit. a small, flat, crisp unleavened cake.
↘ N. Amer. a small, soft round cake like a scone.
2》 porcelain or other pottery which has been fired but not glazed.
3》 a light brown colour.
4》 Carpentry a small flat piece of wood used to join two larger pieces of wood together, fitting into slots in each.
Phrases
take the ~ (or chiefly N. Amer. cake ) informal be the most remarkable or foolish of its kind.
Derivatives
~y adjective
Origin
ME: from OFr. bescuit , based on L. bis 'twice' + coctus , past participle of coquere 'to cook' (because ~s were orig. cooked in a twofold process: first baked and then dried out in a slow oven).