chartreuse

Where does the word "chartreuse" come from? It comes from French Chartreuse, and was adopted directly into English (1884).

Chartreuse’s story begins in French: Chartreuse meant “a French mountain range and monastery.” A mountain range and monastery in France where monks produced a distinctive green liqueur. It reached English by 1884 as chartreuse. Adopted for the pale yellow-green color resembling the monks' liqueur. Today, chartreuse means a pale yellow-green color, named after the French liqueur.

1. Stage 1 · French · medieval Chartreuse "a French mountain range and monastery", a mountain range and monastery in France where monks produced a distinctive green liqueur.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1884 chartreuse "a pale yellow-green color", adopted for the pale yellow-green color resembling the monks' liqueur.