bisque n.1

historically Basque region of northern Spain (Spanish Vizcaya), along the bay named for it between Spain and France, said to be from Basque biskar "mountain country." Related: Biscayan.

"kind of hard, dry bread baked in thin flat cakes," respelled early 19c. from bisket (16c.), ultimately (besquite, early 14c.) from Old French bescuit "biscuit" (12c.), altered under influence of cognate Old Italian biscotto, both from Medieval Latin biscoctum, literally "twice-baked," from Latin (panis) bis coctus "(bread) twice-baked;" see bis- + cook (v.). The U.S. sense of "small, round soft bun" is recorded from 1818.