n.
A dressing made of beaten raw egg yolk, oil, lemon juice or vinegar, and seasonings.
[French mahonnaise, mayonnaise, possibly from Mahón, Spanish city on Minorca captured by Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), in 1756 (the duke's chef is said to have introduced mayonnaise in honor of this victory).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.