scone

¹ American  

[skohn, skon] / skoʊn, skɒn /

noun

1. a small, light, biscuitlike quick bread made of oatmeal, wheat flour, barley meal, or the like.

2. biscuit.

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Scone ² American  

[skoon, skohn] / skun, skoʊn /

noun

1. a village in central Scotland: site of coronation of Scottish kings until 1651.

2. Stone of, a stone, formerly at Scone, Scotland, upon which Scottish kings sat at coronation, now placed beneath the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey.

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scone ¹ British  

noun

1. a light plain doughy cake made from flour with very little fat, cooked in an oven or (esp originally) on a griddle, usually split open and buttered

2. a slang word for head

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adjective

1. slang

   1. angry

   2. insane

Scone ² British  

/ skuːn /

noun

1. a parish in Perth and Kinross, E Scotland, consisting of the two villages of New Scone and Old Scone, formerly the site of the Pictish capital and the stone upon which medieval Scottish kings were crowned. The stone was removed to Westminster Abbey by Edward I in 1296; it was returned to Scotland in 1996 and placed in Edinburgh Castle. Scone Palace was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style in the 19th century

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Etymology

Origin of scone

1505–15; shortened < earlier Dutch schoonbrot fine bread, white bread. See sheen, bread

Explanation

Order a scone at a bakery and you'll get a slightly sweet, rich baked good made with baking soda. Scones are traditionally baked in a large circle and cut into triangular pieces. A scone is like a quick bread, leavened with baking soda instead of yeast and baked on a sheet or griddle. They often contain currants, raisins, or other fruit. In the U.S., scones are dryer and more crumbly than in the U.K., (where they might call American scones "rock cakes"). Scone comes from Scottish, a shortened version of the Dutch schoon brood, "fine bread," and its Middle Dutch roots, schoon, "bright," and broot, "bread."

Example Sentences

Kill a dozen birds with one homemade scone, if you will.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

As a result, the tour alternates between group and solo sections - with British pop star FKA Twigs making a brief cameo eating a scone during a backstage prelude Rosé's set, for some reason.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2025

“I’m an aspiring novelist, and it made me feel like a book character,” Brown says while offering a scone in her cozy living room.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2025

Clark gets right to the heart of the matter from the jump, writing, “What do you call a scone crossed with a jam cake and a cinnamon roll?”

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2024

Mrs. Shainmark takes a scone and passes the plate to Mama, then butters her pastry with the thick cream.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• bread
• doughnut
• muffin
• pastry