What does alamode mean?
Alamode is an English adjective meaning fashionable or in keeping with the current style, derived from the French phrase à la mode, literally 'in the fashion' or 'according to the mode.' Borrowed into English in the seventeenth century, when French taste dominated European courtly life, it was used to describe clothing, manners, and décor that followed the latest vogue. Over time the one-word form fell out of everyday use, surviving mainly in older literature and in a distinctly American culinary sense: a dessert served 'alamode' comes topped with a scoop of ice cream, a usage popularized in the late nineteenth century and still seen on menus across the United States. Today the word reads as charmingly old-fashioned, and writers who want a current idiom generally reach for its parent phrase, à la mode. Its history makes it a neat example of how a borrowed expression of elegance can settle into the language as both a relic of past fashion and a beloved way of ordering pie.
Fashionable; in accordance with the current style or vogue.
"Her alamode gown was the talk of the season."
Now archaic; modern usage prefers the phrase 'à la mode'.
(Of food, especially dessert) served with a scoop of ice cream on top.
"We ordered warm apple pie alamode with vanilla ice cream."
Chiefly American; usually written 'à la mode' in contemporary menus.
'Alamode' once meant simply 'in fashion' — and it gave America its favorite way to eat pie: with a scoop of ice cream on top.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alamode
Alamode comes from the French phrase à la mode, meaning 'in the fashion' or 'according to the prevailing style,' which entered English during the seventeenth century when French court culture set the standard for European taste. The noun 'mode' behind the phrase traces back to Latin modus, meaning 'measure' or 'manner,' making the word a distant cousin of terms like 'moderate,' 'modify,' and 'modish.' In American English the expression took on a culinary life of its own, coming to describe desserts served with ice cream from the late nineteenth century onward.
How alamode is actually used
The one-word form 'alamode' is dated and now appears mostly in historical writing or playful usage; contemporary English overwhelmingly uses the two-word phrase 'à la mode'. In American dining culture, the food sense — dessert served with ice cream — is by far the most familiar meaning today.
Easily confused with alamode
The two-word phrase 'à la mode' is the standard modern form, used both for fashionable things and for food served with ice cream, whereas the solid one-word spelling 'alamode' is an older, now largely archaic variant.