Etymologically
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mayonnaise

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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
  • 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