Etymology

mayonnaise

M3A1Y4O1N1N1A1I1S1E1

Today it means: A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with French fries, in sandwiches, etc. Full definition →

French mayonnaise
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The story

  1. French · borrowed frommayonnaise
  2. English todaymayonnaise

Unadapted borrowing from French mayonnaise, possibly named after the city of Maó (Mahón in Spanish), Minorca, whence the recipe was brought back to France. Compare Spanish mahonesa. Alternative suggested origins include the city of Bayonne (bayonnaise); the Duke of Mayenne and the words manier (“to handle”) in French or moyeu (“eye yolk”) in Old French.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.