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crêpe

Etymology and origin of the French word crêpe

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inherited borrowed derived
Latin crispus
English crepe
French crêpe

French has two nouns crêpe, both formed from the Old French adjective cresp, crespe “curly”: the feminine pancake and the masculine fabric.[1][2][3][4]

crêpe1 pancake

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1285, Walter of Bibbesworth, crispe
Inherited from
Latin crispus
Ultimate origin
Latin (crispus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kʁɛp/[5]

Forms

crêpe f (plural crêpes)[5] Crispe (about 1285), crespe, crepe (1380).[1][2][6]

Etymology

The pancake is the feminine of the Old French adjective cresp, crespe (“curly, wavy”), used as a noun,[1][2][7][5][4] which is inherited from Latin crispus (“curly”);[1][8][7][9] it alludes to the look the batter takes as it cooks.[1][2] Littré says that it is so called because cooking “crimps” it, so to speak.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Walter of Bibbesworth's treatise on French (about 1285) has crispe, and in the 14th century the Ménagier de Paris gives a recipe for crespes of flour mixed with eggs.[1][6]

Semantic evolution

The thin pancake cooked in a pan or on a hotplate is traditional at Candlemas, and in Brittany, where Littré already describes it as a common food made of buckwheat in the west.[3][6][10] Familiar phrases compare a person to a pancake being tossed: retourner quelqu'un comme une crêpe “to make him change his mind completely”, s'aplatir comme une crêpe “to grovel”.[7][3] The crêperie is from 1929.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 1285 – Crispe (Bibbesworth).[1][2]
  • 14th century – Crespes in the Ménagier de Paris.[6]
  • 1380 – Crepe.[1][2]
  • 1929 – Crêperie.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A crêpe, a thin pancake: crêpe bretonne, crêpe Suzette.[3][10]
  2. Retourner quelqu'un comme une crêpe: to make someone change their mind completely.[7][10]

Word family

  • crêperie
  • crêpière

crêpe2 fabric

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1285, Jacques Bretel, Tournoi de Chauvency, crepes
Inherited from
Latin crispus
Ultimate origin
Latin (crispus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kʁɛp/[5]

Forms

crêpe m (plural crêpes)[5] Crespe (Académie 1694 and 1718), crêpe from 1740.[1]

Etymology

The fabric is the masculine of the Old French adjective cresp, crespe (“curly, wavy”), used as a noun,[1][11][2][5][4] which is inherited from Latin crispus (“curly”).[1][11][8][9] Rey connects the Latin word with Celtic forms such as Welsh crych (“curly”) and the Gaulish name Cryxos.[11] The same adjective gave crêper and crépu, and English “crisp”.[11]

Cognate with Occitan cresp, Spanish crespo and Italian crespo.[6][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Jacques Bretel's Tournoi de Chauvency (1285) crepes are ornaments worn on the head.[1][11][2]

Semantic evolution

The word came to name a light fabric of wool or silk with a crinkled surface, made from tightly twisted threads (1357), as crêpe de Chine (1827–1853) or crêpe georgette.[11][7][1] Before 1549 Marguerite de Navarre's widow wears son crespe noir: black crêpe as a sign of mourning, whence porter un crêpe, a black band worn on the hat or sleeve, and poetic uses such as le crêpe de la nuit.[1][11][6]

By likeness, crêpe is also raw rubber with a crinkled surface, used for shoe soles (about 1929[12][11][1]; semelle de crêpe).[12][11][1] Crépon, a crinkled fabric, is from 1635.[8]

Timeline

  • 1285 – Crepes, head ornaments.[1][11]
  • 1357 – A crinkled fabric.[7][3]
  • before 1549 – Crespe noir, a sign of mourning (Marguerite de Navarre).[1][11]
  • 1635 – Crépon.[8]
  • 1827 – Crêpe de Chine.[11]
  • 1929 – Crêpe rubber for soles.[12]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Crepe, a light fabric with a crinkled surface: crêpe de Chine.[3][10]
  2. A band of black crepe worn in mourning.[3][10]
  3. Crepe rubber, used for soles.[10][11]

Word family

  • crépon
  • crêper
  • crépu
  • Latin crispus
  • English crêpe

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
  5. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  9. ^ a b Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1351a
  10. ^ a b c d e f Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  12. ^ a b c Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF

Borrowed into

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Crêpe.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/cr%C3%AApe. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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