What does bisque mean?
Bisque is a noun with two well-established senses. Its best-known meaning is culinary: a thick, silky soup built from puréed shellfish — lobster, crab, or shrimp — enriched with cream, prized for its deep flavor and luxurious texture. Because of this association, the word connotes elegance and is common on restaurant menus. A second, unrelated sense belongs to ceramics: a bisque (or biscuit) is clay or porcelain that has been fired once but not yet glazed, giving it a porous matte surface ready for decoration. Historically, bisque also named a handicap point in tennis, allowing a weaker player one free claim of a point per set, though this usage has faded entirely. The word entered English from French in the seventeenth century, and its origin is itself disputed — some scholars link it to the Bay of Biscay, famed for its seafood, while others connect it to the French expression 'bis cuites,' meaning twice cooked. Whether describing dinnerware or dinner, bisque remains a precise, evocative term worth knowing.
A thick, smooth soup made from puréed shellfish, typically lobster, crab, or shrimp, and finished with cream.
"She ordered a bowl of lobster bisque with a side of warm bread."
Almost always used attributively with the shellfish named: 'lobster bisque', 'crab bisque'.
Unglazed pottery or porcelain that has undergone its first firing, leaving a porous matte surface ready for glazing or decoration.
"The artist applied underglaze directly onto the bisque."
Common in ceramics terminology, often in the phrases 'bisque fire' and 'bisqueware'.
(Historical, tennis) A handicap consisting of one point that a disadvantaged player could claim at any time within a set.
"In the old handicap matches, she held a bisque in each set against her stronger opponent."
Obsolete; encountered mainly in historical accounts of lawn tennis.
Regular plural; typically used when referring to multiple varieties of the soup or multiple pieces of unglazed ceramic ware.
"The menu featured three bisques: lobster, shrimp, and roasted tomato."
Its very name is debated: some trace 'bisque' to France's Bay of Biscay, others to the French 'bis cuites' — 'twice cooked' — so the soup's own etymology simmers unresolved.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bisque
Bisque entered English from French during the early seventeenth century, originally referring to a savory soup. Two competing accounts explain its French source: one derives it from 'Biscaye' (the Bay of Biscay), suggesting a soup associated with that region's abundant seafood, while the other connects it to the French phrase 'bis cuites,' meaning 'twice cooked,' which would tie the soup's name to the ceramics sense of bisque — clay fired once before glazing. Scholars remain divided, so both origins are usually presented as plausible rather than settled.
How bisque is actually used
'Bisque' carries an upscale culinary connotation — it signals refinement more than everyday cooking, so menus use it deliberately. In ceramics contexts (studios, kilns), the word is technical and unglamorous; listeners rely on context to tell which sense is meant.
Easily confused with bisque
A biscuit is a small baked good (or, in British English, a cookie), whereas a bisque is a creamy shellfish soup or a stage of fired ceramic ware.