Bisket

The original English spelling of the modern word “biscuit.” The modern word, imported from French, became the Standard English spelling during the second third of the eighteenth century. Both words are from the Latin bis coctus, or “twice cooked,” meaning a bread or cake that is baked two times, first, at a high heat, to set the dough, and then, at a lower heat, to render the bread or cake dry and crisp through and through. At the time of the original spelling, most biskets conformed to the root meaning of the word. Later, the word “biscuit” came to designate a wide range of baked goods, most of which were baked only once and some of which were soft in texture.