caramel

caromel (archaic)

Unadapted borrowing from French caramel, from Spanish caramelo, from Portuguese caramelo, dissimilated from Late Latin calamellus, diminutive of calamus (“reed”) (and a doublet of chalumeau and shawm). Alternatively from Medieval Latin cannamellis, which is a compound of canna + mellis.

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, New Zealand, General American, Mary–marry–merry distinction) IPA^(key): /ˈkæɹ.ə.mɛl/, /ˈkæɹ.ə.məl/[1][2][3]
• (General American, Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛɹ.ə.mɛl/, /ˈkɛɹ.ə.məl/[3]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑɹ.məl/,[2][3][4] /ˈkɑɹ.ə.məl/, /ˈkɑɹ.ə.mɛl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Both the two-syllable and the three-syllable pronunciations are very common in all regions of the United States. The three-syllable pronunciation is more common than the two-syllable one in the South (excluding western Texas), northern New Jersey, eastern New York, and New England, while the two-syllable one is more common in other regions.[5]

caramel (countable and uncountable, plural caramels)

1. (uncountable) A smooth, chewy, sticky confection made by heating sugar and other ingredients until the sugars polymerize and become sticky.
   • 2004, Harold McGee, chapter 12, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN:

     The usual technique for making caramel is to mix table sugar with some water, then heat until the water has boiled off and the molten sugar colors.

2. (countable) A (sometimes hardened) piece of this confection.
   • 2004, Harold McGee, chapter 12, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN:

     Caramel has a rich, complex flavor and consistency, viscous and sticky and creamy all at once, that works well with most sweets and fruits, with coffee and chocolate, and even with salt: the prized caramels of Brittany are made with a notable dose of sea salt.

3. A yellow-brown color, like that of caramel.

   caramel:  

• fudge, toffee

caramel (not comparable)

1. Of a yellow-brown color.
   • 2001, Nicole Sconiers, California Schemin': The Black Woman's Guide to Surviving in LA:

     Every time I saw this caramel cutie, she was working on a new proposal or business plan or flyer to promote herself and her event coordinating business.

caramel (third-person singular simple present caramels, present participle caramelling or carameling, simple past and past participle caramelled or carameled)

1. (transitive, cooking, dated) To caramelize.
   • 1900, M. M. Mallock, The Economics of Modern Cookery: Or, A Younger Son's Cookery Book:

     To turn out, place the dish over the mould, and invert both together, when, if the caramelling has been complete, the pudding should slip out without any difficulty at all.

• caramel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Maracle, cameral, ceramal, maceral, reclama

Borrowed from Spanish caramelo, from Portuguese caramelo, from Latin calamellus. Doublet of caramell.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [kə.ɾəˈmɛl]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [ka.ɾaˈmɛl]

caramel m (plural caramels)

1. caramel (sticky confection made by heating sugar)
2. candy, sweet
   • 2016 November 9, Idoya Noain, “¿Què serà del nostre país?”, in El Periódico‎:

     “És com si a Hillary Clinton li haguessin ficat la mà a les butxaques i li haguessin tret els caramels.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• “caramel” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Borrowed from Spanish caramelo, from Portuguese caramelo, probably from Late Latin calamellus, and therefore doublet of the inherited chalumeau.

• IPA^(key): /ka.ʁa.mɛl/

• Audio

  (file)

caramel m (plural caramels)

1. caramel, fudge

• caraméliser

• “caramel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• calmera, clamera, réclama

Borrowed from French caramel.

caramel n (plural carameluri)

1. caramel