/mad"l in, mad'l ayn"/ ; Fr. /manndeu len"/ , n. , pl. madeleines /mad"l inz, mad'l aynz"/ ; Fr. /manndeu len"/ . French Cookery.
1. a small shell-shaped cake made of flour, eggs, sugar, and butter and baked in a mold.
2. something that triggers memories or nostalgia.
[ 1835-45; gâteau à la Madeleine, after the female given name; the attribution of the recipe to an 18th century cook named Madeleine Pau(l)mier is unsubstantiated ]