latte

Etymology

It is a shortening of caffè latte,^[2][3][4] which is from Italian caffè latte (“coffee (and) milk”), short for caffè e latte (“coffee and milk”).^[3][5][2] The Shorter Oxford takes the word directly from latte (“milk”).^[6] The Italian noun comes from Latin lac (“milk”),^[4][2][7] which Etymonline traces to Proto-Indo-European *g(a)lag- (“milk”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Coffee made with espresso and steamed or frothed milk: 1989, in the New York Times.^[2] Etymonline dates it to 1990 at the latest,^[4] Dictionary.com to 1990–95,^[8] and Merriam-Webster to 1991.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The longer name caffè latte had been used in English since 1847, at first for any coffee made with milk.^[2] The short form arose in the late 20th century, when the drink became fashionable,^[2][4] and it is now defined as espresso with steamed milk, with less foam on top than a cappuccino, often flavoured.^[2][9]

Timeline

• 1847 – caffè latte, coffee made with milk.^[2]
• 1989 – latte, espresso with steamed or frothed milk.^[2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1991.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A drink of espresso mixed with hot steamed or frothed milk: She ordered a large latte to take away.^[5][2][9][3]

Related words

• caffè latte
• café au lait
• cappuccino
• lactic
• lactose

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
8. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
9. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press