gravy English · revision 1067

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡɹeɪvi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|grave]], ''gravey'',^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline) [[bor|fro|gravé|t=seasoned broth or sauce]].^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) The Old French word is probably a misreading, with ''u'' (''v'') for ''n'', of ''grané'' “sauce, stew”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) a cooking term formed from ''grain'' “seed, spice”,^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) ultimately from [[la|grānum|t=grain, seed]] or ''grānātus'' “full of seeds”.^(Barnhart 1995)^(AHD)^(RHWU) Medieval English recipes for ''gravy'' and French recipes for ''grané'' are practically identical, which supports this explanation.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A spiced dressing or sauce for white meats, fish and vegetables, made with broth and almond milk (c. 1390).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The medieval ''gravy'' was a spiced stew or sauce;^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) from the late 16th century the word was applied to the fat and juices that come out of meat during cooking, and to a sauce made from them.^(OED 1989) In the early 20th century American slang it came to mean money gained easily or unexpectedly,^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) hence the phrase ''gravy train''.^(OED 1989) In Italian-American English it is also used for tomato sauce (by 1978), translating Italian ''sugo''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1390 – a spiced dressing for white meats and fish.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1591 – the juices and fat from cooking meat; a sauce made from them.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1747 – compounds such as ''gravy-boat''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1905–10 – slang, money easily or dishonestly obtained (Random House).^(RHWU)

+ * 1910 – an unearned or unexpected bonus, also in ''gravy train''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1978 – tomato sauce, in Italian-American use.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The juices that drip from meat during cooking.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[sauce]] made by thickening and seasoning these juices.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(slang)'' Money or benefit gained easily, or beyond what is expected; also, money gained dishonestly, [[graft]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gravy boat]]

+ * [[gravy train]]

+ * [[milk gravy]]

+ * [[red-eye gravy]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[grain]]

+ * [[pomegranate]]

+ * [[garnet]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}