What does "bouillabaisse" mean?
A type of fish soup or stew from Provence, France.
Bouillabaisse
/ˈbuːjəˌbeɪs/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A type of fish soup or stew from Provence, France.
- Grammar: bouillabaisse is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: bisque, borscht, bouillon, broth.
- Useful contrasts: meat soup, monoculture dish, plain broth.
- Usage evidence: In Quezon City, my family enjoyed a favourite place where there were two restaurants, Italian Village and Monk's Inn, both medievally decorated. In the latter, I had my first taste of French onion soup and bouillabaisse. In the former, I enjoyed lasagna.
How to use "bouillabaisse"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bouillabaisse" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bouillabaisse" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bouillabaisse" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A type of fish soup or stew from Provence, France. countable, uncountable
"And here's an inn, not rich and splendid, / But still in comfortable case; / The which in youth I oft attended, / To eat a bowl of Bouillabaisse. // This Bouillabaisse a noble dish is— / A sort of soup, or broth, or brew, / Or hotchpotch of all sorts of fishes, / That Greenwich never could outdo; / Green herbs, red peppers, mussels, saffern, / Soles, onions, garlic, roach, and dace; / All these you eat at Terré's tavern, / In that one dish of Bouillabaisse."
- 2 highly seasoned Mediterranean soup or stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish with tomatoes and onions or leeks and seasoned with saffron and garlic and herbs wordnet
- 3 A mixture. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"La Sirène du Mississipi is a synthesis of the work he [François Truffaut] has been doing during the preceding six or eight years, a great bouillabaisse of [Jean] Renoir, [Alfred] Hitchcock, [Humphrey] Bogart, [Antoine] Doinel, [...]"
Antonyms
meat soupmonoculture dishplain brothsingle ingredient dish
Example
"In Quezon City, my family enjoyed a favourite place where there were two restaurants, Italian Village and Monk's Inn, both medievally decorated. In the latter, I had my first taste of French onion soup and bouillabaisse. In the former, I enjoyed lasagna."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bouillabaisse"?
Common synonyms include: bisque, borscht, bouillon, broth, burgoo, chicken soup.
How do you use "bouillabaisse" in a sentence?
In Quezon City, my family enjoyed a favourite place where there were two restaurants, Italian Village and Monk's Inn, both medievally decorated. In the latter, I had my first taste of French onion soup and bouillabaisse. In the former, I enjoyed lasagna.
How do you pronounce "bouillabaisse"?
Pronounced /ˈbuːjəˌbeɪs/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French bouillabaisse, from Occitan bolhabaissa, bouiabaisso, possibly a compound of bolhir (“to boil”) + abaissar (“to lower (the temperature)”).