Pavlova
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A meringue dessert usually topped with fruit and cream. Australia, New-Zealand, countable, uncountable
"The pavlova — rich in whipped cream and ice-cream — is a wonderful dessert that should appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth."
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of pavlova. alt-of, countable, uncountable
"What about making and freezing one or two Pavlovas topped with an orange curd filling for a simple dessert?"
- 3 a dessert consisting of a meringue base or cup filled with fruit and whipped cream wordnet
- 1 A transliteration of the Russian surname Па́влова (Pávlova), the feminine variant of Pavlov.
""YOU WRITE TO MOSCOW": NINA PAVLOVA REVIEWS LISTENERS MAIL. […] LISTENER IS TOLD THAT THERE ARE TWO PAVLOVAS IN BRITISH SECTION -- NINA AND GALINA, AN ANNOUNCER."
- 2 A transliteration of the Russian surname Па́влова (Pávlova), the feminine variant of Pavlov.; Anna Pavlova (Russian ballet dancer).
"LADIES’ DOUBLES “PAVLOVAS.” […] The winners, who literally danced their way into the final, were dubbed the two Pavlovas."
- 3 A female surname from Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, or Slovak, masculine equivalent Pavlov.
- 4 A female surname from Czech or Slovak, masculine equivalent Pavel.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door and let the Pavlova cool for one hour."
Etymology
From the surname Pavlova, from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov), named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881–1931). Australia/New Zealand from circa 1930. Both nations lay claim to origination of the dish and the name. According to research undertaken by the Oxford English Dictionary, however, the earliest known attestation for the term is from New Zealand in 1927.
Borrowed from Russian Па́влова (Pávlova), feminine form of Па́влов (Pávlov).
More for "pavlova"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.