Where does “crème” come from?
crème (French) comes from Middle French chresme, from Old French cresme, from Late Latin crama, from Late Latin chrisma, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα, from Ancient Greek χρίω, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.
crème (French): cream; cool; café crème
Ancestry of “crème”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | chresme | — |
| 2 | Old French | cresme | cream |
| 3 | Late Latin | crama | skim; nominative plural of crāmum; accusative... |
| 4 | Late Latin | chrisma | ointment |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χρῖσμα | anointing, unction; wall coating, plaster |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to smear with , rub on something; to anoint with... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |
Words derived from “crème”