Hungry? We have on our menu “aspic,” “syrup,”“chop suey,” “peaches,” and “ketchup.” And our tour of these food- and house-related words concludes with a dessert of “sherbet.”

Alcohol

Many of the queens of ancient Egypt highlighted their eyes with a fine black powder, which they called al-koh’l, meaning “the fine black powder.” Centuries later, the English language adopted the term and changed it to alcool, and used it to refer to any type of fine powder or extract (the essence of a liquid in its purest form). Only in the 1800s did the English begin to use “alcohol” to refer to the powerful essence in wine and liquor.

The first known wine grapes were grown in the Indus Valley around 4000 b.c.

Alcove

“Alcove” is actually a combination of two Arabic words: al, meaning “the,” and qubba, meaning “vaulted room.” During the Middle Ages, the Arabs ruled much of Spain, and many Arabic words naturally entered the Spanish vocabulary. Since many vaulted rooms at that time were small, the association of size and vaults gradually translated into the word alcoba, Spanish for “small vaulted area.” The English later adopted the Spanish term, adapted it to “alcove,” and modified its definition to mean a recessed area of a room that usually, although not always, has a vaulted ceiling.

Ammonia

The Egyptians considered the sun god, Amun, one of their principal deities, and four rulers bore the name Amenhotep, meaning “Amun is pleased.” The Greeks considered Amun the equivalent of their chief god, Zeus, but spelled it Ammon. When the Greeks sought a name for the rock salt they imported from the area near a temple to Amun, they used halas ammoniakos, “salt belonging to Ammon.” The Romans later borrowed the Greek term, spelling it sal ammoniacum. Scientists working with this salt in the 18th century continued to use the Latin phrase, but formed a new word—“ammonia”—to name the gas the salt produced. Today, ammonia is found in a great variety of products, including fertilizers, medications, and cleaning fluids.

Aspic

The French used the expression frois comme un aspic (“cold as an asp”) to refer to a person with no warmth or feelings for others. The snake known as the asp, from the Latin word aspis, always has been feared because of its poisonous venom. When some French people used the phrase frois comme un aspic to refer to a popular type of cold jelly used to garnish fish or meat and the jelly mold itself, the word “aspic” was singled out as the name for that jelly.

Basin

Baca was the Latin word for “berry,” and since the bowls the Romans used resembled the shape of a berry, later Romans coined the term bacchinus to mean “an eating bowl.” During the Middle Ages, warriors used cone-shaped metal caps as helmets. Since this type of helmet was thought to resemble a bowl, the early French called it a bacin. English adopted bacin as “basin,” a bowl-like container generally used to hold water.

Bin

The Celts used a term that sounded much like benn to refer to a special cart that carried a woven wicker form shaped to resemble a person. Some scholars think that people were placed within these wicker forms and then sacrificed by burning. English borrowed the term in the Middle Ages, adapted the spelling to “bin,” and used it to refer to a manger or crib. Today, “bin” denotes a low container that is used especially for storing foods and other items.

The Celts were an Indo-European people who dominated much of western and central Europe in the first millennium b.c. They are famous for their rich mythology and for their art, especially pieces fashioned of metal.

Bungalow

“Bungalow” traces its roots to the Hindi word bangla, which refers to a thatched house. Bangla actually translates “of Bengal,” an area in India where this type of one-story dwelling, usually with a wide, sweeping porch, was common. When the British controlled India, they borrowed the Hindi term and, in time, expanded its use to include any type of small, one-story cottage. In the United States, “bungalow” is used to refer to any small house or cottage.

Calabash

Since ancient times, many peoples have used the dried out shell of gourds to make drinking cups, dippers, bowls, and cups. “Calabash” refers to a type of gourd, and is a form of the Spanish name of the same fruit, calabaza. The Spanish were borrowers as well, for they took their word from the Arabic name for the same fruit, qár’a yábisa.

Gourds are hard-skinned, fleshy fruits from climbing plants such as squash, melon, cucumber, and pumpkin.

Candy

The root of “candy” can be traced to the ancient Sanskrit term khanda, meaning “a piece of crystallized sugar.” The Persians modified the word to kand, or “sugar.” Later, in Arabic, it became quandi, or “made of sugar.” The term quickly traveled from the Middle East across the Mediterranean Sea, where it was adopted into several languages before coming into the English language as “candy.”

The U.S. government was actually the first to invent the candy we now know as M&M’s. The “melts in your mouth, not in your hand” candy was created as a quick-energy snack that would not get soldiers sticky.

Cane

Kanu, meaning “a reed,” was a term commonly used by the ancient Akkadians. The Greeks adopted the term and adapted it to kanna, which the Romans later changed to canna. Sometime during the 14th century, the term was Anglicized to “cane.” Although the term still refers to a type of reed, it more commonly describes an item used to help a person walk.

Canopy

For thousands of years, people around the world have used canopies—coverings set above a bed or throne or held above an important person or object. The English form of the word traces its origin to Greek. To refer to an Egyptian-style couch surrounded with mosquito netting (cloth gauze), the ancient Greeks coined the term konopeion. Whether the Greeks derived this term from konops (“mosquito”), or from Knopos (the name of an Egyptian town), is not known. The Romans borrowed the Greek term and formed canapeum. The French changed it to canapé, an hors d’oeuvre consisting of a cracker or piece of bread covered with some food. English also adopted the Greek term, but uses it only in the sense of “a covering.”

Chair

Chairs were once costly items, bought and used by the very rich or by those in power. The most common type of seating, especially for large gatherings, was on a bench or on the floor. The ancient Greeks referred to a four-legged piece of furniture as a kathedra. It is a combination of kata (“down”) and hedra (“seat”). The Romans adapted the term to cathedra and used it to denote the “chair of authority.” Soon the phrase ex cathedra developed to refer to words or phrases that were spoken by someone in authority and that had to be obeyed without question. In medieval universities, the professor alone had a chair and the students sat on benches.

Today, universities have endowed chairs, or professorships, that are funded in part by donated money. Organizations also have chairs (sometimes called chairpersons) who are responsible for their continued operation.

Chiclets

The brand name Chiclets was aptly chosen to sell chewing gum. It traces its roots to cikli, a word long used by the peoples of Mexico and Central America to refer to a gum-like substance that is made from the milky juice of the sapodilla tree. Because it is a principal ingredient in making chewing gum, one company thought it only appropriate to call their brand of gum Chiclets.

China

The common noun “china” refers not to a country but rather to objects with a hard ceramic finish with a transparent glaze, or porcelain. By the 7th century, the Chinese had experimented with baking special clay at especially high temperatures to produce a refined, hard ceramic. The Chinese were the first to produce porcelain and, as the centuries passed, Chinese porcelain was exported around the world. To label the imported porcelain, the English used the name of the country where the ware originated. Today, the phrase “fine china” refers to extra-fine, quality dishes, while the term “china” has come to mean any type of ceramic dish.

Chisel

Although this word entered English by way of Old French, it actually is derived from Latin. Its root is the verb caesum meaning both “killed” and “cut.” The French adapted the Latin to form their word chisel, meaning “a small instrument.” English then adopted the French term, changing only the pronunciation.

Even though mechanical tools have made carpentry much more efficient, the chisel and other hand tools such as the awl are still widely used.

Chop suey

This Chinese American food dish is made by cooking meat and various vegetables together in a sauce and then serving the combination on rice. Although its name may look English, it is actually an English adaptation of the Chinese zasui, meaning “various pieces.”

Chow mein

Supermarket shelves offer a variety of chow mein possibilities for shoppers. Most consist of a thick meat and vegetable stew that is flavored with soy sauce and served over Chinese noodles. “Chow” is an English adaptation of the Chinese verb ch’ao, meaning “to fry,” and mein, the Chinese word for “flour.” “Chow” also is heard every day in school cafeterias and military mess halls as a synonym for food.

Cocoa

The Maya and other peoples in Mexico and Central America learned to make a frothy, bitter chocolate drink from kakaw (beans from a tree native to the area). Since kakaw took much time and expense to process, laws were passed allowing only those of the upper classes to have this drink. Archaeologists have found kakaw recipes on vessels from the Classic Maya period (about a.d. 250 to 900). The Maya and others also used kakaw seeds as money. Spanish conquerors and settlers in the area adopted the practice of drinking this specialty and adapted the term to cacao. When the English language borrowed the term, it modified the spelling to “cocoa” and used it to refer to the powder made from kakaw.

American manufacturer Milton S. Hershey founded the Hershey Chocolate Corporation. He introduced the chocolate bar in 1894.

Cornucopia

According to the ancient Greeks, when Zeus, the king of the gods, was an infant, a she-goat named Amalthea nursed him. Later, when Zeus wished to express his gratitude to Amalthea, he plucked one of her horns and endowed it with special powers so that it would fill to overflowing with whatever Amalthea wished. Accordingly, the ancients represented it filled with Amalthea’s favorites—fruits and flowers. The Romans borrowed this symbol of a horn overflowing with gifts of the earth. For them, it symbolized fertility and abundance. They named it the cornucopia from their nouns cornu (“horn”) and copia (“plenty”). Today, it has become one of the symbols of our Thanksgiving holiday. See also Under the aegis of.

Crust

Crust” refers to the hard, crisp, outer shell or covering of anything, but especially to the outer part of bread. It traces its origin to the Latin noun crusta (“the shell or bark of any substance”). Old French first adapted crusta to croute, from which English derived crouton, a small, crisp piece of toasted or fried bread used in soups and salads. The Latin crusta also gave us crustacean— animals with a hard, outer shell and jointed appendages that live in water and breathe through gills, such as lobsters, shrimp, and crabs.

“Crust” is not always used to describe food. For example, “the upper crust” refers to the elite or upper-class group of people.

Divan

The Turkish word divan traced its meaning to its Persian derivative and meant “a bundle of papers on which accounts were marked and kept.” During the Ottoman Empire of the Turks, it meant the council of the ministers of state as well as the room in which they met. Since the council members sat on low, cushioned sofas that had no armrests or backs, this type of couch gradually came to be known as a divan. Westerners visiting Turkey and the Middle East quickly learned the term, brought it back home, and used it to mean a couch or a sofa. Westerners also used the name ottoman to refer to an armless and backless couch and later to a low, cushioned footstool.

Hacienda

This Spanish American term, used to refer to a large estate or establishment, comes from the old Spanish word facienda, meaning “work” or “an estate.” The Spanish term traces its roots to the Latin facienda, meaning “everything that must be done.” This adaptation was appropriate because on a hacienda, there is always much work to be done.

Ketchup

Also spelled “catsup,” this English word is well known to all lovers of hamburgers, French fries, and baked beans. Few, however, know that it actually comes from two Chinese words. China’s neighbors, the Malaysians, used ke, meaning “shellfish” or “seafood,” and tsiap, meaning “a salty sauce,” to form their word kechap. They then used kechap to mean “a fish sauce.” European merchants trading in Asia in the 18th century brought the word home, where it underwent another change, first in spelling and later in meaning.

The first hamburger was invented in 1900 by Louis Lassen in New Haven, Connecticut. At Louis’ Lunch restaurant, he served a boiled patty of ground beef between two pieces of toast.

Magazine

In Arabic, al makhzan means “a storehouse” or “a place where grain and other supplies may be stored.” When the Spanish adapted the word, they kept the article al and formed almacen to mean a “warehouse” or “department store.” English also borrowed al makhzan, dropped the article al, and adapted it to “magazine.” English did keep the “storehouse” meaning, but also used the term to refer to books as storehouses of information. In the 18th and 19th centuries, when pamphlets and small publications became popular, “magazine” was gradually used to refer to these publications.

One of the first regularly published American magazines was the Saturday Evening Post. Founded by Charles Alexander and Samuel Atkinson, it first appeared in 1821 in Philadelphia.

Mansion

In Latin, the verb form mansi means “I stayed,” “I remained,” and, on occasion, “I spent the night.” From it, the Romans derived their noun mansio, meaning “a stay,” “a sojourn,” or “a halting place.” In turn, the English language derived “mansion” from these Latin forms. While its spelling has not changed, its definition has. Initially, it represented a dwelling place or lodging or apartment. In the 14th century, “mansion” was used to signify a journey, a halting place, and even the distance between two places. In the 15th century, it referred to the chief residence of a lord or wealthy landowner. As a result of the latter definition, “mansion” assumed its present significance in English as a dwelling of great size.

The ancient Romans had two kinds of houses: the domus (a single-family dwelling) and the insulae (apartment blocks or tenements). The rich lived in the domi (plural of domus); the poor in the insulae.

Onion

The Latin verb form unio traces its roots to the Latin adjective unus. The verb form means “I unite” or “I join,” while the adjective means “one.” When considering a name for the vegetable known as the onion, unus was used. What better term could describe this vegetable whose layers are so united? Another interesting note is the fact that the Romans used unio for a single large pearl. The English language borrowed this sense as well—the small silvery-white onions you buy in a grocery store are referred to as pearl onions.

Palace

Rome was founded on the hilly left bank of the Tiber River. Gradually, the phrase “seven hills of Rome” was used to describe the site. As Rome grew and its population gradually covered the surrounding hills, the Palatine Hill was preferred by Rome’s wealthier citizens. In time, the emperor’s residence covered almost the entire hill. The French adapted the name Palatine to palais and used it to represent their king’s official residence. English changed the French term to “palace.”

When the Roman emperor Nero (54–68) ordered construction of his Golden House in Rome, he wanted to create the effect of a city palace in the country. It was massive and even included a swimming pool.

Pasta

The Italian word pasta is found on restaurant menus and in supermarkets around the world. In fact, pasta has become one of the world’s most popular foods. The term traces its roots through the Greek noun paste, meaning “barley porridge,” to the Greek verb passein, meaning “to sprinkle.” Thus, cooks sprinkle flour with water, form a mixture, and make various pasta shapes, such as macaroni, spaghetti, and ravioli.

Pavilion

When the early French sought a term to name an area covered by a piece of cloth attached to poles, they borrowed the Latin term papilia, meaning “butterfly,” because the flapping cloth made the structure resemble a butterfly. The French term pavillon gradually entered the English language as “pavilion” and came to designate a large tent or covered area.

Peaches

While the Latin noun mala meant specifically “apples,” it was generally applied to any type of fruit. When peaches were first imported from Persia, the Romans termed this new fruit Persica mala, or “Persian apples.” Eventually mala was dropped and the term Persica went through many changes as each succeeding generation and nation encountered the word. English derives “peaches” from the French form, pêches.

Peking duck

Chinese cooks used a large, white, domesticated duck as the basis for many meals. Today, we define a particular way of preparing this meal as Peking duck. The dish first became a specialty in China and is now served in gourmet restaurants around the world. It consists of a roasted duck served, according to tradition, in several courses, two of which may be strips of the meat sauteed with bean sprouts and bits of thin, crisp skin mixed with scallion and rolled in a thin pancake.

Pirogi

In the frozen food department of many supermarkets you can find boxes filled with delicious pirogi. The picture on the box shows small turnovers made of pastry crust filled with meat, cheese, mashed potatoes, or vegetables. An eastern European favorite, pirogi are aptly named since the word is the Russian plural of pirog, meaning “pie.”

Punch

Legend traces the root of “punch” to the late 1600s. At the time, a certain drink was popular among English and other European sailors who had been visiting and exploring Indian waters. According to the earliest known recipe for the drink, it was a mixture of five ingredients: lemon, tea, sugar, water, and arrack (a strong, alcoholic drink that is usually distilled from rice, molasses, or coconut milk). Because of the strong ties between England and India, it was only natural that when the English began referring to this particularly flavorful drink as punch, all thought the name was merely an adaptation of the Hindi word panch, which means “five.” “Punch” probably is a form of puncheon, the name of a large cask used for holding beer and wine aboard a ship.

Ranch

“Ranch” is a form of the Spanish American term rancho. Originally, rancho meant an area where soldiers would take their place in a line. Gradually, because of the similarity between a line of soldiers and a number of huts built one after the other, rancho came to denote a row of huts. The meaning changed again to represent a hut or a group of huts used by herdsmen or farm laborers out on the job. In the open expanses of America, “ranch” soon came to represent a large grazing farm with many buildings for the care and rearing of animals.

Refrigerator

The Romans called the room in the bathing complexes where patrons could take a cold bath a frigidarium, a word that traced its roots first to frigerare and then to frigus (“cold”). English then combined frigerare with the Latin preposition re (“again”) and formed “refrigerator,” the name of the appliance that keeps food cold and fresh.

The first commercial refrigerator (or “icebox”) is credited to U.S. inventor Alexander C. Twining in 1856.

Sack

The Egyptians derived their noun sak, (“a receptacle”) from their verb sok, meaning “to gather” or “to collect.” The Greeks later adapted sak to sakkos, which the Romans changed to saccus. Despite the modifications in spelling, the definition changed little through the centuries.

Samovar

A combination of the Russian words samo, meaning “self,” and varit, meaning “to boil,” a samovar is a type of metal urn that is widely used in Russia to make tea. Usually made of brass and with a distinctive shape, a samovar has a spigot and an internal tube to heat the water within. Often there is a special place on the top of a samovar for a smaller filled teapot to sit while the tea within steeps.

Russia, the world’s largest country and home to the world’s largest lake (Baikal), is a federation that reaches from eastern Europe to eastern Asia. A federation is a union of states that have agreed to follow a central authority in common affairs. The country’s official language is Russian (although dozens of others are spoken), and the population is approximately 150 million.

Sandwich

Tradition has it that an English gentleman named John Montagu, the fourth earl of Sandwich (1718–1792), enjoyed gambling so much that he refused to leave the gaming table to eat. Instead, he asked that his cook send him some roast beef between two slices of bread. The idea caught on, and the concoction was nicknamed the “sandwich” in his honor. Montagu also had a keen interest in naval affairs. To honor the earl’s commitment to the sea, world explorer Captain James Cook named a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean the Sandwich Islands (present-day Hawaii).

Captain James Cook discovered another set of islands off the southern tip of South America in the Atlantic Ocean and also named them after the earl of Sandwich. Today they are known as the South Sandwich Islands and belong to Great Britain. These volcanic islands are covered by glaciers and were uninhabited until 1976 when Argentina tried to seize them from Britain.

Shampoo

Many English travelers to India in the 1600s observed the Indian custom of having servants use their knuckles to squeeze and knead the bodies of their masters after a hot bath. The Indian term for this practice was champo. Although hesitant at first, the English soon employed servants to do the same to them. Soon, a “shampoo,” as the English called it, became a daily ritual. Back in England, few people could afford the luxury of having servants who gave this type of shampoo. The English modified the meaning a bit and used it to name the process of giving one’s scalp and head a washing and rubbing.

Sherbet

Centuries ago, “sherbet” was coined in Asia to refer to a cold drink made by mixing together fruit juice, water, and sugar. The Turks also enjoyed the drink and adopted the word. In the 17th century, the English acquired a taste for the drink. In the United States, we now use the term to refer to a mixture of juice, sugar, and water (or milk) that has been frozen.

During a multicourse meal at some restaurants, waiters serve patrons a small dish of sherbet between two of the courses. It is used to cleanse the palate—that is, to get the taste of the last course out of your mouth so that you may better experience the next course.

Sushi

“Sushi” is a Japanese word that refers to small cakes of cooked, cold rice that have been flavored with vinegar and are served with strips of raw fish or cooked pieces of fish, egg, and vegetables.

Syrup

The Arabic noun sharab means “a drink” or “a beverage.” “Syrup” traces its origin to that word by way of Arabic, Medieval Latin, and Old French, where it referred to the juice of a fruit or plant. Today it most often describes a thick and sweet liquid made from the sap of maple trees.

People have enjoyed syrup through time. The first store brand, Log Cabin syrup, hit the market in 1887.

Tablet

“Tablet” traces its roots to tabula, the Latin noun for a plank or board. Centuries ago, the French adapted tabula to tablete and used it to mean a small board. English later changed the word to “tablet” to describe a flat, thin piece of wood or other material that was shaped for a specific purpose, such as a memorial or a writing pad.

Tempura

Like sushi, the Japanese word tempura refers to food. Tempura is a Japanese specialty that consists of pieces of vegetables, meat, fish, or fruit that have been dipped in an egg batter and then deep-fried.

Vodka

“Vodka” is a form of the Russian noun voda, meaning “water.” Therefore, vodka translates literally into English as “little water.” Vodka is an alcoholic drink made from grain.