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
- A smooth, chewy, sticky confection made by...
Ancestry of “caramel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | caramel | caramel, fudge |
| 2 | Spanish | caramelo | candy; caramel |
| 3 | Portuguese | caramelo | caramel; candy made of caramel; any candy |
| 4 | Latin | calamellus | A little reed or pen |
| 5 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |