Small cubes of bread, usually toasted or fried until crispy, used as a crunchy topping for soups and salads.
From French 'croûton,' diminutive of 'croûte' (crust), literally 'little crust'; derived from Latin 'crusta.'
Croutons became a way for restaurants to use up stale bread and charge you money for it—they're the ultimate kitchen hack that somehow became an upscale menu item, proving that presentation and naming can transform leftovers into delicacies.
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