noun
baklava
BAK-luh-vuh
Baklava (noun) means a rich, sweet pastry made of thin layers of dough filled with chopped nuts and soaked in syrup or honey, popular across the Middle East and the Balkans. Example: “They ended the meal with a plate of baklava and strong coffee.”
noun
1
A rich, sweet pastry made of thin layers of dough filled with chopped nuts and soaked in syrup or honey, popular across the Middle East and the Balkans.
"It meant lifting tea towels off trays in her Muslim neighbours’ kitchens to help herself to sticky triangles of baklava, half lemon slices pressed into the syrupy pastry filled with walnuts and raisins."
— Priscilla Morris, Black Butterflies (2022)
"They ended the meal with a plate of baklava and strong coffee."
How to use baklava
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA syrup-soaked, nut-filled pastry made from many thin layers of dough.
Common pairings
a piece of baklava
pistachio baklava
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like baklava.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- baklavas, baklavalar
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
They ended the meal with a plate of _____ and strong coffee.
Etymology
Borrowed from Turkish baklava, likely tracing back to an older Mongolic word meaning "bundle" or "package," referring to the layered pastry.
Rhymes for baklava
See all rhymes for baklava →Frequently asked questions
What does “baklava” mean?
The word “baklava” means a rich, sweet pastry made of thin layers of dough filled with chopped nuts and soaked in syrup or honey, popular across the Middle East and the Balkans. In plain terms, a syrup-soaked, nut-filled pastry made from many thin layers of dough.
How do you pronounce “baklava”?
“Baklava” is pronounced BAK-luh-vuh (/ˈbæk.lə.və/ in IPA).
How do you use “baklava” in a sentence?
Here is “baklava” used in a sentence: “They ended the meal with a plate of baklava and strong coffee.”
What part of speech is “baklava”?
“Baklava” is a noun.
Where does the word “baklava” come from?
The word “baklava” comes from Turkish. Borrowed from Turkish baklava, likely tracing back to an older Mongolic word meaning "bundle" or "package," referring to the layered pastry.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include baklava:
