mayonnaise

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/, /ˌmeɪ.əˈneɪz/ (UK); /ˌmeɪ.əˈneɪz/, /ˈmeɪ.əˌneɪz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French mayonnaise,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} earlier mahonnaise,^[2][3] probably named after Mahón, the seaport of Minorca,^[2][3][4][6] which the Duc de Richelieu captured in 1756;^[2][3] his chef is said to have created the sauce to celebrate the victory.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A thick sauce of egg yolk beaten with oil and vinegar, used as a dressing (1841).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The earliest uses, from 1803 in French contexts, are of dishes such as mayonnaise de poulet, suggesting a style of serving cold meat in sauce.^[4] A French cookbook of 1808 notes that cooks disagreed on the name, some saying mayonnaise, others mahonnaise or bayonnaise.^[4] In English the word has meant the egg-and-oil dressing since 1841.^[7][3][5] The short form is mayo.^[1]

Timeline

• 1803 – mayonnaise de poulet, in a French context.^[4]
• 1807 – French mahonnaise.^[3]
• 1841 – the sauce.^[7][3][5]
• 1927 – in contract bridge, a goulash (a redeal).^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A thick dressing made of egg yolks, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasonings.
2. A cold dish dressed with mayonnaise.

Word family

• mayo

Related words

• aioli

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press