crepes

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Very thin, flat pancakes cooked in a pan and served rolled or folded, with sweet or savory fillings.

   Grammar: Plural of crepe: we ordered two crepes.

   Patterns

   • crepes with something
   • crepes filled with something

   We ordered crepes with strawberries and cream.

   Crepes are thinner than American pancakes and made without much raising agent.

   He flipped the crepes in the pan with one quick shake.

2. 2nounpluraltechnical

   Types of thin, crinkled fabric, usually made of silk, cotton or wool.

   Grammar: Plural for the fabric sense, mostly in textile contexts.

   Patterns

   • crepes of something

   The shop sells silk crepes in many colors.

   Wool crepes drape well in winter dresses.

   These crepes have a pebbly texture.

Common combinations

sweet crepes

Sweet crepes with lemon and sugar are a classic.

savory crepes

Savory crepes filled with mushrooms made a good dinner.

make crepes

We made crepes for breakfast on Sunday.

flip crepes

It takes practice to flip crepes without tearing them.

stack of crepes

A stack of crepes sat on the plate.

Synonyms and how they differ

pancakes

They are usually thicker and fluffier than crepes, which are thin and delicate.

galettes

They are savory buckwheat crepes from Brittany and are a type of crepe, not a general word.

blintzes

They are thin pancakes folded around a filling and often cooked a second time.

Word family

crepe noun

singular: one thin pancake

creperie noun

a restaurant serving crepes

crepe paper noun

thin crinkled paper

crepey adjective

with a crinkled surface like crepe

Commonly confused: crepes or crêpe? crepes or crapes?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “crepes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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