bouillabaisse

[ bool-yuh-beys, bool-yuh-beys; French boo-ya-bes ]

noun

1. a soup or stew containing several kinds of fish and often shellfish, usually combined with olive oil, tomatoes, and saffron.

bouillabaisse

/ ˌbuːjəˈbɛs /

noun

1. a rich stew or soup of fish and vegetables flavoured with spices, esp saffron

Word History and Origins

Origin of bouillabaisse¹

1850–55; < French < Provençal boui-abaisso, taken as either “boil it, then lower the heat,” or “when it boils, lower the heat”; boui 2nd-person singular imperative or 3rd-person singular present of bouie to boil ¹; abaisso 2nd-person singular imperative of abaissa to lower; abase

Word History and Origins

Origin of bouillabaisse¹

C19: from French, from Provençal bouiabaisso , literally: boil down

Example Sentences

It's their version of bouillabaisse, but a bit different.

From Salon

Presented as a coral-reef explosion of color and aquatic wildlife that almost approaches the original’s surreal, kaleidoscopic grandeur, it’s a bouillabaisse that Busby Berkeley would be proud of.

From Los Angeles Times

Born from the marriage of West African stew and French bouillabaisse, Gumbo has not only been around for hundreds of years, but its countless variations shine a light on every family's heritage.

From Salon

My first taste of Epié’s cooking was a little globe of puff pastry atop a maritime “bouillabaisse” of John Dory and other fish, a soup that includes tender macaroni and a rouille teasing with harissa.

From Washington Post

“I’ve never seen such a spicy bouillabaisse of ingredients that could wreak havoc on energy prices,” said Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis at Oil Price Information Service.

From New York Times