gravy

Where does the word "gravy" come from? It comes from Old French grané, passing through Middle English before entering English (1590s).

Gravy’s story begins in Old French: grané meant “a spiced stew or sauce.” A spiced sauce, probably from 'grain', meaning anything used in cooking. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as gravé. The n was misread as a v by scribes, a copying error that stuck. It reached English by 1590s as gravy. Came to mean sauce made from meat juices; 'gravy train', easy money, is American slang from the 1920s. Today, gravy means a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · medieval grané "a spiced stew or sauce", a spiced sauce, probably from 'grain', meaning anything used in cooking.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1300s gravé "a spiced sauce", the n was misread as a v by scribes, a copying error that stuck.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s gravy "sauce made from meat juices", came to mean sauce made from meat juices; 'gravy train', easy money, is American slang from the 1920s.