meringue

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mark-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*marhin“soup of bread and wine or water”
3. Old Dutch · derived from*meren
4. Middle Dutch · derived from*meren“to dip or soak bread”
5. Latin · derived frommerenda“light evening meal”
6. Middle Dutch · derived frommeringue“light evening meal”
7. French · borrowed frommeringue
8. English todaymeringue

Borrowed from French meringue. Historically, it was believed that meringue was invented in and named for the Swiss village of Meiringen, but the term is now thought to derive instead from Middle Dutch meringue (“light evening meal”), of unclear origin: * perhaps from Latin merenda (“light evening meal”), or * perhaps from Middle Dutch *meren (“to dip or soak bread”), from Old Dutch *meren, itself of unclear origin: ** perhaps from Proto-Germanic *marjaną (“to grind, pound”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to rub, pack”). ** perhaps from Proto-Germanic *marhin (“soup of bread and wine or water”), from Proto-Indo-European *mark-, *merk- (“wet”). Compare Middle Low German meringe (from mern (“to dip bread in wine”)), Middle High German merunge (from mëren (“to soak bread in wine or water for dinner”)), Old English merian (“to purify, cleanse, test”). Doublet of merengue.

Words from the same roots