Where does “crème” come from?
Crème comes from Old French cresme, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα, meaning anointing oil, ultimately from the root χρίω meaning to anoint.
crème (English): A very sugary, fluffy white cream derivative;...
Definitions
- A very sugary, fluffy white cream derivative;...
Ancestry of “crème”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | crème | cream; cool; café crème |
| 2 | Middle French | chresme | cream (milk product) |
| 3 | Old French | cresme | cream |
| 4 | Late Latin | crama | skim; nominative plural of crāmum; accusative... |
| 5 | Late Latin | chrisma | ointment |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | χρῖσμα | anointing, unction; wall coating, plaster |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |