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hamburger

a cooked patty of ground meat, typically served in a bread bun

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Where does the word "hamburger" come from? It comes from German Hamburg, passing through German before entering English (1800s-1900s).

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Where does the word "hamburger" come from? It comes from German Hamburg, passing through German before entering English (1800s-1900s).

Hamburger’s story begins in German: Hamburg meant “the city of Hamburg.” The German port city known for a style of minced beef. Within German, it grew into Hamburger by 1800s. Described minced beef steak in the Hamburg style. It reached English by 1800s-1900s as hamburger. Brought to the US by German immigrants and reshaped into a sandwich. Today, hamburger means a cooked patty of ground meat, typically served in a bread bun.

  1. Stage 1 · German · medieval Hamburg "the city of Hamburg", the German port city known for a style of minced beef.
  2. Stage 2 · German · 1800s Hamburger "Hamburg-style minced beef", described minced beef steak in the Hamburg style.
  3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s-1900s hamburger "a ground beef patty served in a bun", brought to the US by German immigrants and reshaped into a sandwich.

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