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pudding

n.
US //ˈpʊdɪŋ// UK //pˈʊdɪŋ// pud·ding
  1. 1 the dessert course (n.)
    B1 Intermediate British English

    the sweet course at the end of a meal.

    the final sweet course of a meal; used as a synonym for dessert in British English.

    Example

    The children finished their vegetables because they wanted to have pudding.

    Example

    In many British households, the term 'pudding' is used generically for any sweet dish served after the main course, regardless of its ingredients.

    Usage

    Often used uncountably when referring to the course itself.
  2. 2 creamy dessert (n.)
    B1 Intermediate American English

    a soft, creamy sweet food often made with milk and sugar.

    a sweet, soft food with a consistency similar to custard, typically thickened with cornstarch or flour.

    Example

    He ate a small bowl of chocolate pudding for his afternoon snack.

    Example

    The recipe calls for constant stirring to ensure the vanilla pudding achieves a smooth, silk-like texture without any lumps.
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  1. 3 steamed or boiled dish (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Cooking

    a dish made by steaming or boiling ingredients in a cloth or basin.

    a cooked dish, either sweet or savoury, prepared by steaming or boiling a mixture of ingredients, often containing suet or batter.

    Example

    We always have a traditional steamed plum pudding on Christmas Day.

    Example

    The steak and kidney pudding was steamed for several hours until the suet pastry became tender and the filling rich and succulent.

  2. 4 savoury sausage (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Cooking

    a type of sausage often made with blood or meat and grains.

    a savoury sausage-like food, such as black pudding or white pudding, typically made from blood, fat, and cereal.

    Example

    A traditional full English breakfast usually includes a slice of black pudding.

    Example

    The chef served the seared scallops with a crumble of black pudding to provide a salty, earthy contrast to the delicate seafood.
  3. 5 term of endearment (n.)
    C2 Proficiency British English Informal

    a sweet name you call someone you love.

    a colloquial term of endearment used for a partner or child.

    Example

    Don't worry about the mess, pudding, we can clean it up later.

    Example

    While some find it overly sentimental, she frequently addressed her grandchildren as 'pudding' when they came to visit.
  4. 6 overweight person (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Humorous

    a slightly rude word for someone who is fat.

    a derogatory or humorous slang term for an overweight or obese person.

    Example

    He used to be a bit of a pudding when he was a teenager, but he's very fit now.

    Example

    The comedian made several self-deprecating jokes about being a 'bit of a pudding' before he started his strict new exercise regime.
Origin

From circa 1305, Middle English podynge (“kind of sausage; meat-filled animal stomach”), puddynge, from Old French boudin (“blood sausage, black pudding”), from Latin botellus (“sausage, small intestine”). Doublet of boudin. An alternative etymology assumes origin from Proto-Germanic put-, *pud- (“to swell”) (compare dialectal English pod (“belly”), Old English puduc (“wen, sore”), Low German puddig (“swollen”), Westphalian Puddek (“lump, pudding”), Puddewurst (“black pudding”). More at pout.

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