marinate

Where does the word "marinate" come from? It comes from Latin marinus, passing through Italian before entering English (1640s).

Marinate’s story begins in Latin: marinus meant “of the sea.” Of the sea, from mare (sea), since food was originally soaked in seawater or brine. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as marinare. Settled in Italian for soaking food in a seasoned liquid. It reached English by 1640s as marinate. Settled as the English word for soaking food in a flavorful liquid before cooking. Today, marinate means to soak food in a seasoned liquid before cooking, to add flavor or tenderize it.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient marinus "of the sea", of the sea, from mare (sea), since food was originally soaked in seawater or brine.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval marinare "to soak food in a seasoned liquid", settled in Italian for soaking food in a seasoned liquid.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1640s marinate "to soak food in a seasoned liquid before cooking", settled as the English word for soaking food in a flavorful liquid before cooking.