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na·po·le·on¹

(nə-pōlē-ən, -pōlyən)

1. A 20-franc gold coin formerly used in France. Also called nap⁴.

2. Games See nap⁴.

[After Napoleon I.]

na·po·le·on²

(nə-pōlē-ən, -pōlyən)

A rectangular piece of pastry made with crisp, flaky layers filled with custard cream.

[Alteration (influenced by the name of Napoleon I) of French napolitain, flaky pastry made with almond paste and fruit jam, from napolitain, Neapolitan, of Naples, from Italian napoletano, from Napoli, Naples, Italy.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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