Mousse is a light, airy dessert or a whipped savory preparation made by folding whipped cream or egg whites into a flavored base. It has a smooth, velvety texture and is typically served chilled. The term also refers to a foamy hair or cosmetic product in some contexts, but culinary usage is most common.
"I’ll make chocolate mousse for dessert tonight."
"The chef whisked the eggs and sugar to create a delicate mousse."
"Her mousse of mushroom and herb was a surprising aperitif."
"This mousse has a light, cloudlike texture that melts in your mouth."
Mousse originates from the French word mousse, meaning ‘foam’ or ‘froth,’ which describes its light, airy texture. The culinary term emerged in the 18th century as chefs began to describe desserts and savory dishes that incorporated foamy textures achieved by folding beaten eggs or cream into a base. The root is from Old French mousse, related to mousse or mouser, linked to the verb mouer, meaning to move or stir, implying the action of whisking air into the mixture. In English, mousse appears in dining contexts by the 19th century, with early recipes detailing chocolate or fruit-based foams. Over time, mousse broadened to include savory foams and non-dessert applications, though the dessert sense remains dominant in modern usage. The word’s pronunciation in English has remained relatively stable, keeping the sibilant /s/ and the silent final -e in many varieties, aligning with French influence in culinary terms.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Mousse" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Mousse"
-ose sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as /muːs/. The vowel is a long
Most speakers overemphasize the final consonant or add an extra syllable, saying /ˈmuːsɪz/ or /ˈmʊs/. The correct form is a single syllable, with a long /uː/ and a crisp /s/. Keep the mouth rounded for /uː/ and end with a clean /s/.
In US/UK/AU, the primary difference is vowel length quality for /uː/. All three are essentially /muːs/, but rhoticity doesn’t affect this word since there’s no r following it. UK tends to slightly longer or tenser /uː/ in careful speech, US often a bit shorter but still /muːs/; AU tends to similar to UK with crisp final /s/.
The challenge lies in the silent-e convention from French and the pure vowel /uː/ that requires a rounded, tense mouth position without adding extra vowels. Maintaining a single syllable while keeping a precise /uː/ quality and a clean /s/ at the end can be tricky for speakers unfamiliar with French loanwords.
In many contexts, you’ll encounter this word written in menus and recipes; keep it as a single syllable with a long /uː/ sound and crisp /s/. The final /s/ should be unvoiced and not followed by any vowel or extra consonants. Visualize the French origin, but produce it as a tight, streamlined English sound: /muːs/.
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