confetti

Where does the word "confetti" come from? It comes from Latin confectum, passing through Italian before entering English (1800s).

Confetti’s story begins in Latin: confectum meant “prepared, made.” Meaning "prepared" or "made", related to sweets. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as confetti. Originally sugared almonds thrown during carnival celebrations. It reached English by 1800s as confetti. Adopted for the small bits of paper thrown at celebrations. Today, confetti means small pieces of colored paper thrown during celebrations.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient confectum "prepared, made", meaning "prepared" or "made", related to sweets.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval confetti "sugared sweets thrown in celebration", originally sugared almonds thrown during carnival celebrations.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s confetti "small pieces of paper thrown in celebration", adopted for the small bits of paper thrown at celebrations.