Where does “creme” come from?
creme (Italian) comes from Italian crema, from Spanish crema, from French crème, from Middle French chresme, from Old French cresme, from Late Latin crama, from Late Latin chrisma, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα — to rub; to stroke; to grind.
creme (Italian): plural of crema
Ancestry of “creme”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | crema | cream; third-person singular present of cremare;... |
| 2 | Spanish | crema | cream; soup with cream; custard |
| 3 | French | crème | cream; cool; café crème |
| 4 | Middle French | chresme | — |
| 5 | Old French | cresme | cream |
| 6 | Late Latin | crama | skim; nominative plural of crāmum; accusative... |
| 7 | Late Latin | chrisma | ointment |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | χρῖσμα | anointing, unction; wall coating, plaster |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to smear with , rub on something; to anoint with... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |