cramum

Forms

crāmum n (genitive crāmī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Gaulish *crama, from Proto-Celtic *krammen, which Wiktionary relates to Welsh cramen (“scab, skin”) and Breton krammenn and traces further to Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama-.^[1] The MLW and Köbler likewise call it a word of Gaulish origin,^[2][3] while Etymonline calls its origin uncertain, perhaps Gaulish.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its only literary instance is in a poem of Venantius Fortunatus (536–c. 610 AD), where it means cream;^[5][6][7][3] otherwise the word is known from glossaries.^[6][3]

Semantic evolution

A Latin glossary explains it as the “flower” of milk, that is, its cream.^[2] A feminine crama stands beside the neuter,^[2][3] and Gaffiot heads the word as crēmum, with crāmum as a variant.^[6] In Medieval Latin a surgical treatise uses it for the scum drawn off melted lard and suet, which a gloss explains as foam.^[2] Anglo-Saxon glossaries render it by Old English flete and fleote.^[8]

Blended with Late Latin chrisma “ointment”, it gave Old French cresme, craime, creme,^[4] whence Middle English creyme and English cream.^[4][1]

Timeline

• 536–c. 610 AD – Venantius Fortunatus uses it for cream in one of his poems.^[5][3]
• 10th century – An Old English glossary renders it fleote.^[8]
• 13th century – Old French cresme, craime, creme, a blend of it with chrisma, is recorded.^[4]
• early 14th century – Middle English creyme, from Old French, appears; it is the ancestor of English cream.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. cream (of milk).^[5][6][7][2]
2. (Medieval Latin) The fatty scum or foam drawn off melted fat.^[2]

Related words

• English cream

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press