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Gravy

3 stages from Old French to English.

Today it means a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat

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

grané→gravé→gravy

Old French · medieval

"a spiced stew or sauce"

a spiced sauce, probably from 'grain', meaning anything used in cooking

Middle English · 1300s

"a spiced sauce"

the n was misread as a v by scribes, a copying error that stuck

English · 1590s

"sauce made from meat juices"

came to mean sauce made from meat juices; 'gravy train', easy money, is American slang from the 1920s

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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.