Phrase guide

charlotte russe

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈʃɑːlət ˈɹuːs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈʃɑɹlət ˈɹus/
  • rhymes with -uːs

1

noun

Meaning 1

A dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake, often in the form of ladyfingers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

lady fingers enclosing Bavarian cream

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: charlotte

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French charlotte russe (literally “Russian charlotte”). The origin of the term is obscure; one theory is that the dish was created by French chef Marie-Antoine Carême (1784–1833) and named in honour of his employer Alexander I of Russia.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: charlotte-russe — dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake
  • Finnish: lotta — dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake
  • Finnish: charlotte russe — dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake
  • French: charlotte russe — dessert of custard or whipped cream enclosed in sponge cake