A boneless piece of meat or fish, or a thin strip of something.
From French 'filet' or 'fil' meaning 'thread' or 'string', which came from Latin 'filum'. The word traveled into English in the 14th century, describing the long, thin shape of the cut.
The most expensive filets—like filet mignon—are prized because that muscle on a cow does almost no work, so the meat stays incredibly tender, unlike tougher muscles that exercise constantly.
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