Etymologically
Log in

gâteau

Etymology and origin of the French word gâteau

History Permalink
Confidence
Probable
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1140, Gaimar
Inherited from
Latin *wastellum via Old French
Ultimate origin
Frankish (*wastil)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɡa.to/[1]
  • IPA: /ɡɑ.to/[1]

Forms

gâteau m (plural gâteaux)[1] Old French gastel (about 1140), nominative gastiax (about 1170); gastiau (about 1265, Jean de Meun), gasteau (15th century), gâteau from 1636.[2][3][4] Picard wastel.[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French gastel, inherited from Vulgar Latin *wastellum, probably from Frankish *wastil (“food”), which is inferred from Old Saxon, Old English and Middle High German wist (“food”) and is derived from a Germanic word for “wax” (compare English wax, German Wachs).[2][4][6] Wiktionary takes it back to Proto-Germanic *wastilaz and Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to eat”).[1] Pierre Guiraud instead connects it with Middle French gasche (“flat cake”), from a Gallo-Romance *vasitō (“to make a paste”), related to gâcher.[4][7] Littré wondered about a link with a Germanic verb “to waste”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Geffrei Gaimar's Estoire des Engleis (about 1140) has the plural gastels for food made of dough;[2][4] Chrétien de Troyes's Érec has li gastiax about 1170.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The 13th-century Livre des métiers already distinguishes the bakers' gastel à presenter.[5] Avoir part au gâteau, to get a share of the profits, is in Amadis (1541), and the gâteau des Rois with its bean is in Rabelais (1532), whence trouver la fève au gâteau, to have a lucky find.[2][3][5] Félibien in 1676 uses it in sculpture for a piece of wax or clay that fills a mould, and Richelet in 1680 for the honeycomb of bees.[2][3] Many regional cakes bear the name, such as the gâteau à la broche of the Aveyron (1878).[4] C'est du gâteau !, it's a piece of cake, is recorded in 1952.[3] Used as an adjective, papa gâteau and grand-mère gâteau describe an indulgent parent.[8] English borrowed gateau in 1845.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 1140 – Gastels in Gaimar.[2]
  • 1532 – Gâteau des Rois, in Rabelais.[3]
  • 1541 – Avoir part au gâteau.[2]
  • 1636 – The spelling gâteau, in Monet.[3]
  • 1676 – A sculptor's wax filling, in Félibien.[2]
  • 1680 – A honeycomb, in Richelet.[2]
  • 1845 – English borrows gateau.[9]
  • 1952 – C'est du gâteau ![3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A cake, a pastry usually made of flour, butter and eggs, most often sweet: gâteau au chocolat, une part de gâteau.[10][11]
  2. Gâteaux secs, petits gâteaux: biscuits.[11][4]
  3. A sweet dish where flour is replaced by something else: gâteau de riz.[3][11]
  4. (Switzerland) A tart.[8]
  5. (beekeeping) A honeycomb.[8][2]
  6. A flat round mass of pressed material: gâteau de plomb.[8]
  7. (familiar) C'est du gâteau: it's easy, avoir part au gâteau: to get a share of the profits.[11][3]

Adjective

  1. (familiar, invariable) Over-indulgent: un papa gâteau, des grand-mères gâteau.[8]
  • Frankish *wastil
  • English gateau

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 17, 547a
  7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  8. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gâteau.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/g%C3%A2teau. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·