mignonette

noun

mi·​gnon·​ette ˌmin-yə-ˈnet 

1

: any of a genus (Reseda of the family Resedaceae, the mignonette family) of herbs

especially : a garden annual (R. odorata) bearing racemes of fragrant whitish flowers

2

: a sauce made typically with vinegar, pepper, and herbs and served especially with oysters

Illustration of mignonette

• mignonette 1

Examples of mignonette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Something to savor Start off with the Oysters West Coast and East Coast, served with red wine vinegar mignonette and lemon cocktail sauce, and the lavraki, served with horta and ladolemono sauce. —Amanda Mesa, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

The presentation comprises oysters with passion-fruit mignonette and the day’s crudo—yellowtail with avocado, say, or scallops in yuzu—and chilled lobsters, their silken claws already flawlessly denuded. —The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2023

The city abounds with fine seafood towers, especially at Martini-minded restaurants above a certain price point, though there can be a sameness to them, a repetitive haze of mignonette and gently melting ice. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023

There’s an array of dressings and hot sauces, including a mouth-puckering homemade mignonette, and the oysters are glorious, a symphony of brine and richness, especially the Blue Points, mild and rich as salted butter, and the peachy sweetness of the Kumamotos. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French mignonnette, from obsolete French, feminine of mignonnet dainty, from Middle French, from mignon darling

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1