crème French · revision 15674

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1190, Evrat (craime)|origins=xtg}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kʁɛm/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''crème''' ''f'' (plural crèmes)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''craime'' (about 1190), ''cresme'' (1261); ''crème'' from the 17th century^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989). The long vowel recalls the lost ⟨s⟩ of ''cresme''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|fro|craime]], [[inh|la-lat|crāma]] (6th century, Venantius Fortunatus),^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005) a word of Gaulish origin: [[der|xtg|-]];^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) Bloch and Wartburg compare [[cy|crammen|t=scab]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) It was crossed early with Church Latin [[la-ecc|chrisma|t=anointing oil]], from Greek, which gave [[chrême]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) “Crama” replaced classical “cremor lactis”.^(DHLF 1992) The word also lives in Rhaeto-Romance and northern Italian dialects.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ [[en|cream]] comes from Old French.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Evrat's ''Genèse'' (about 1190) has ''craime'' for the fat that rises on milk.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Figuratively, ''la crème'' is the best part of something (Montaigne, 1580): ''la crème des hommes'' “the best of men”.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989) Cooking named preparations such as ''crème fouettée'' and ''crème chantilly'', and also from 1802 creamy desserts.^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992) ''Café à la crème'' (1822, ''café crème'' 1898) became familiar ''un crème''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The invariable adjective ''crème'' means “cream-coloured”.^(Wiktionary) Derivatives include ''écrémer'' (14th century), ''crémeux'' (1578), ''crémier'' and ''crémerie'' (1849).^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 6th century – Late Latin ''crama''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1190 – ''Craime''.^(TLFi)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ * 1261 – ''Cresme'' (Rutebeuf).^(TLFi)

+ * 1580 – “The best part” (Montaigne).^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+ * 1822 – ''Café à la crème''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1849 – ''Crémerie''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * 1898 – ''Café crème''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|cream|alt=Cream]], the fat of milk: ''crème fraîche'', ''crème fouettée''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A creamy dessert.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''(Louisiana)'' Ice cream.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''La crème de'': the best of: ''la crème des hommes''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' A white coffee, ''un crème''.^(Wiktionary)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Cream-coloured (invariable).^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[crémer]]

+ * [[crémerie]]

+ * [[crémeux]]

+ * [[crémier]]

+ * [[écrémer]]

+ * [[écrémage]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[chrême]]

+ * [[en|cream]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}