cream

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)krama-
2. Gaulish · derived from*crama
3. Late Latin · derived fromcrāmum“cream”
4. Ancient Greek · derived fromχρῖσμα“unguent”
5. Late Latin · derived fromchrisma“ointment”
6. Old French · derived fromcreme, cresme
7. Middle English · inherited fromcreime, creme
8. English todaycream

From Middle English creime, creme, from Old French creme, cresme, blend of Late Latin chrisma (“ointment”) (from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “unguent”)), and Late Latin crāmum (“cream”), from Gaulish *crama (compare Welsh cramen (“scab, skin”), Breton crammen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama- (compare Middle Irish screm (“surface, skin”), Dutch schram (“abrasion”), Lithuanian kramas (“scurf”)). Doublet of crema and crème. Displaced native Old English rēam (“cream”) (> modern ream); and native Old English flīete f (“cream”) related to flotian (> modern float) from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”). Figurative sense of "most excellent element or part" appears from 1581. Verb meaning "to beat, thrash, wreck" is 1929, U.S. colloquial. The U.S. standard of identity is from 21 CFR 131.3(a).

Words from the same roots