Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “caramel” come from?

Caramel comes from French caramel, from Spanish caramelo, from Latin canamella, from Latin calamus meaning "reed," derived from Ancient Greek κάλαμος, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱolh₂mos.

caramel (English): A smooth, chewy, sticky confection made by...

Definitions

  1. A smooth, chewy, sticky confection made by...

Ancestry of “caramel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcaramelcaramel, fudge
2Spanishcaramelocandy; caramel
3Portuguesecaramelocaramel; candy made of caramel; any candy
4LatincalamellusA little reed or pen
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos—
8Proto-Italic-elos—
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “caramel”

  • caramelize
  • caramelization
  • carmel
  • caramelly
  • caramellike
  • carmelize
  • キャラメル
  • คาราเมล
  • karamel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →