Etymology

toast

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Today it means: Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning). Full definition →

Middle English tost ← Old French toster ← Late Latin tostō
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toast · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ters-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥stós
  3. Proto-Italic*torstos
  4. Latintostus
  5. Late Latintostō
  6. Old Frenchtoster
  7. Middle Englishtostendeverb.
  8. Middle Englishtost
  9. English todaytoast

From Middle English tost, from the verb tosten (see below). Etymology 1 sense 3 is according to the Oxford English Dictionary a figurative application of etymology 1 sense 1 dating to 1674. It began as an epithet for a lady being supposed to flavour a bumper like a spiced toast placed in that drink. (In this context, a bumper is a drinking vessel filled to the brim.)

toast · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ters-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥stós
  3. Proto-Italic*torstos
  4. Latintostus
  5. Late Latintostō
  6. Old Frenchtoster
  7. Middle Englishtosten
  8. English todaytoast

From Middle English tosten, from Old French toster (“to roast, grill”), from Late Latin tostō, -āre, frequentative of torreō (“to burn, grill”) from its perfect passive participle tostus (“grilled, burnt”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.