caramel
[ kar-uh-muh l, -mel, kahr-muh l ]
/ ˈkær ə məl, -ˌmɛl, ˈkɑr məl /
noun
a liquid made by cooking sugar until it changes color, used for coloring and flavoring food.
a kind of chewy candy, commonly in small blocks, made from sugar, butter, milk, etc.
a yellowish brown or tan color.
Origin of caramel
1715–25; < French < Spanish or Portuguese
caramelo < Late Latin
calamellus little reed (by dissimilation), equivalent to
calam(us) reed (see
calamus) +
-ellus diminutive suffix; meaning changed by association with Medieval Latin
cannamella, canna mellis, etc., sugar cane, equivalent to Latin
canna
cane +
mel honey (genitive
mellis)
Words nearby caramel
caragana,
carageen,
caramanlis,
caramba,
carambola,
caramel,
caramelize,
carangid,
carangoid,
carapa,
carapace
Example sentences from the Web for caramel
British Dictionary definitions for caramel
caramel
/ (ˈkærəməl, -ˌmɛl) /
noun
burnt sugar, used for colouring and flavouring food
a chewy sweet made from sugar, butter, milk, etc
See also
crème caramel
Word Origin for caramel
C18: from French, from Spanish
caramelo, of uncertain origin