filet
UK[ˈfiːleɪ]US[fɪˈleɪ]
n
A piece of meat or fish without bones
v
To cut a piece of meat or fish into a fillet
Morpheme Breakdown
fil
et
fil
thread
et
diminutive suffix
Etymology
The word 'filet' entered English from French, retaining its original spelling and pronunciation. Its core component, 'fil', traces back to the Latin 'filum', meaning a thread or string. This literal sense evolved metaphorically; just as a thread is a slender, continuous strand, a filet is a long, thin, boneless strip of meat or fish. The diminutive suffix '-et' implies a small or delicate piece, perfectly describing the refined cut of meat the word denotes today.
Analysis
Structure: fil (thread) + et (diminutive suffix)
'fil' is from Old French, derived from Latin 'filum' meaning 'thread'. 'et' is a French diminutive suffix.
Examples
She ordered a filet of salmon with a lemon butter sauce.
The chef will filet the whole fish for you at the counter.
The recipe calls for two beef filets, each about six ounces.