omelet English · revision 1540

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=1611}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|omelette]], earlier [[m|fr|amelette]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) a metathesis of [[m|frm|alemette]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966) an alteration by change of suffix of [[fro|alemelle|t=blade of a knife or sword]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) probably a misdivision of [[m|fro|la lemelle]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(Skeat 1911) from [[la|lāmella|t=small thin plate]], diminutive of [[m|la|lāmina|t=thin plate, layer]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A dish of beaten eggs fried, often with other ingredients (1611 in the OED, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The dish was named from its flat shape, like a thin metal plate.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Word Histories)^(Skeat 1911) The proverb ''omelets cannot be made without breaking eggs'' is translated from the French and recorded in English in 1859.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The spelling ''omelet'' is standard in the United States, ''omelette'' in Britain.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1611 – the egg dish.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1859 – the proverb about breaking eggs.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1872 – verb, to make into an omelet.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A dish of beaten eggs cooked in a pan without stirring until set, often folded over a filling such as cheese or herbs.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[lamina]]

+ * [[lamella]]

+ * [[laminate]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}