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dough·nut also do·nut (dōnŭt′, -nət)
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n.
1. A small ring-shaped cake made of rich, light dough that is fried in deep fat.
2. Something whose form is reminiscent of a ring-shaped cake.
3. A fast, tight 360° turn made in a motor vehicle or motorized boat.
[DOUGH + earlier nut, a small rounded cake or cookie; see NUT.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

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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