caramel
/ˈkærəməl/
noun
Origin
Late Latin
calamellus — little reed (a diminutive of calamus)
Overview
Meaning Now
- Burnt sugar used for coloring and flavoring food.
- A smooth, chewy candy made from heated sugar, butter, and cream.
Literal older meaning
burnt sugar
Language path
Late Latin → Spanish → French → English
Earliest form
caramel
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The word originally referred to the sugar cane plant itself. The transition to the confection 'caramel' occurred as the culinary technique of heating sugar into a viscous, browned state became popular in Europe.
Evolution
- Classical Greek
κάλαμος (kalamos)
“reed, cane”
Original source of the stalk used for sugar cane.
- Late Latin
calamellus
“small reed, sugar cane”
Diminutive form applied to the plant.
- Spanish
caramelo
“candy made of burnt sugar”
Influence of 'canna mellis' (honey cane) may have assisted the shift.
- French
caramel
“burnt sugar”
Adopted into French from Spanish or Portuguese.
- 18th century English
caramel
“burnt sugar or candy”
Direct loan from French.
Connections
Word parts
calam
root
reed
ellus
suffix
diminutive
Related across languages
Spanish
caramelo
candy
Portuguese
caramelo
caramel
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Related to caramel
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.