noun
marshmallow
mahsh-MA-loh
noun
1
A soft, spongy sweet made from sugar or corn syrup and gelatin, whipped to a fluffy texture.
"They roasted marshmallows over the campfire until they turned golden."
"She dropped a marshmallow into her hot chocolate."
2
A plant related to the mallow family that grows in marshy ground, from whose root the original confection was made.
"The marshmallow plant produces pale pink flowers in late summer."
How to Use Marshmallow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe soft, squishy white sweet you roast on a stick, named after the marsh plant it was originally made from.
Common pairings
toasted marshmallow
marshmallow fluff
roast marshmallows
Word Forms
marshmallowed past tense, marshmallows plural, marshmallows singular
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Etymology
Named for the marsh mallow plant — ancient confectioners made the original sweet from the plant's sticky root sap before switching to modern gelatin and sugar.