English Reference

Word

jus

/ˈdʒəs/

Definition

n. the natural liquid that comes out of meat when you cook it.

n. the natural juices released by meat during the cooking process, often served as a thin sauce.

Examples

“The chef serves the roast beef with a rich red wine jus.”

“Instead of a thick flour-based gravy, the restaurant offers a light herb-infused jus to accompany the lamb.”

“The culinary student learned to deglaze the roasting pan with stock and aromatics to capture the concentrated jus, ensuring no flavor from the caramelised proteins was wasted.”

Examples

simple

“The chef serves the roast beef with a rich red wine jus.”

contextual

“Instead of a thick flour-based gravy, the restaurant offers a light herb-infused jus to accompany the lamb.”

complex

“The culinary student learned to deglaze the roasting pan with stock and aromatics to capture the concentrated jus, ensuring no flavor from the caramelised proteins was wasted.”

Usage

Often used in the phrase 'au jus', meaning served with its own natural juices.

Teaching tip

This is a specialized culinary term; in everyday English, people usually just say 'juice' or 'gravy'.

Etymology

Borrowed from French jus (“juice”). Doublet of juice and ukha.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Synonyms

Domain

Cooking

This entry

Level
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Occasional
Updated
Register
Technical

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/jus

English Reference