blanch

Where does the word "blanch" come from? It comes from Old French blanc, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Blanch’s story begins in Old French: blanc meant “white.” White, describing food briefly boiled to whiten or set its color. It reached English by 1400s as blanch. Settled as the English word for briefly boiling food, or turning pale. Today, blanch means to briefly boil food before cooling it, or to turn pale from shock.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · medieval blanc "white", white, describing food briefly boiled to whiten or set its color.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s blanch "to briefly boil food, or to turn pale", settled as the English word for briefly boiling food, or turning pale.