/prah"leen, pray"-, prah leen"/ , n.
1. a French confection consisting of a caramel-covered almond or, sometimes, a hazelnut.
2. a cookie-size confection made esp. of butter, brown sugar, and pecans: developed in New Orleans in the early 19th century.
3. a similar confection of nuts mixed or covered with chocolate, coconut, maple sugar or syrup, etc.
[ 1715-25; Praslin (1598-1675), whose cook invented them ]