Mousse

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /muːs/

Definitions

1. A creamy dessert that achieves a light texture through whipped egg whites or cream and may include flavors, and a hair product that adds body and structure
2. A dessert known for its smooth, airy consistency created by incorporating air into a whipped mixture of cream or egg whites, alongside a styling aid for enhancing hair volume
3. A soft dessert made by folding air into a flavored creamy mixture ; a foamy preparation applied to hair to increase fullness and hold

Etymology: The dessert and the moss share a name because of a shared image: froth. French "mousse" meant "foam" or "froth," and that sense came from Old French "mosse," meaning "moss." The link is one of resemblance, since foam gathering on water or a frothy surface looks like a soft, spongy growth. The French word goes back to a Frankish or Old Dutch form, "mosa," which descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "moss, bog, marsh," so the same ancient idea of damp, spongy ground sits behind both senses. English took the word from French, and the culinary sense followed the French kitchen, where whipped and lightened preparations were called by this name. The hair product is a later extension of the same idea: a light, airy foam applied to give fullness and structure, much as the dessert gets its volume from air trapped in whipped egg or cream.

Synonyms: foam, froth, whipped cream