noun A small, shell-shaped French sponge cake.
- Madeleine batter can be made in advance and refrigerated.
— Emily Luchetti, A Passion for Desserts (2003)
- He dipped a lemon madeleine into his coffee and smiled.
- The bakery sells madeleines in little paper bags, still warm from the oven.
- She served warm madeleines with afternoon tea.
noun Something ordinary that triggers a powerful, unexpected memory.
- For him, the taste of mint was a madeleine that brought back summers at his grandmother's house.
- An old song on the radio became her madeleine, flooding her mind with childhood memories.
- The smell of chalk dust was a madeleine that brought back her whole school life.
name A female given name, a French form of Madeline.
- We've been making up the most glamorous names for you, Marguerite and Marlene and Madeleine―" "And Melanie and Marianne and Marietta," put in Jane.
— Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There (1967)
