margarine

Forms

margarine f (plural margarines)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned formation from Ancient Greek μάργαρον (márgaron, “pearl”), with the suffix -ine,^[2][3][4] the Greek word being a shortened variant of μαργαρίτης (margarítēs, “pearl”).^[3] The chemist Chevreul gave the name in 1813 to a fatty substance, a compound of margaric acid and glycerine,^[2][5][6] for its pearly colour.^[3][4][5] Wiktionary and the Petit Robert derive it from (acide) margarique, influenced by glycérine;^[1][7] Bloch and Wartburg date the adjective to 1816.^[5]

The butter substitute's name is a shortening of oléomargarine (1854, Berthelot).^[8] The same Greek word is behind marguerite.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chevreul first used it in 1813, in the Annales de chimie et de physique, for a substance of the fats, a mixture of palmitin and stearin.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

At first a term of chemistry, the word became the everyday name of a fat used in place of butter.^[3] A patent of 1869 says that oléomargarine is commonly called margarine and has the same make-up as butter;^[2] in English, Etymonline dates its invention to 1869, by Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès.^[9] The fat was first made from animal and vegetable fats, and today mostly from vegetable oils emulsified with water.^[7][2]

The chemical sense is now dated.^[2][7] English margarine is recorded from 1873.^[9] Around 1950 the word gave the technical derivatives margarinerie and margarinier.^[3][2]

Timeline

• 1813 – Chevreul names the substance in the Annales de chimie.^[2][5]
• 1816 – Margarique is recorded.^[5]
• 1854 – Berthelot forms oléomargarine.^[8]
• 1869 – A patent says that oléomargarine is commonly called margarine.^[2]
• 1873 – The English word margarine is recorded.^[9]
• 1949 – Margarinerie is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A food fat used in place of butter, an emulsion of mostly vegetable fats and water; margarine.^[7][2][10]
2. (chemistry, dated) A mixture of palmitin and stearin found in fats.^[2][7]

Word family

• margarinerie
• margarinier

Related words

• oléomargarine
• margarique
• marguerite
• Ancient Greek μάργαρον (márgaron)

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
10. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)