marzipan

Where does the word "marzipan" come from? It comes from Arabic mawthaban, passing through Italian before entering English (1500s).

Marzipan’s story begins in Arabic: mawthaban meant “disputed, possibly a box or coin term.” Possibly from a word for a seated king, later linked to a coin and its box. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as marzapane. Settled in Italian for the almond-and-sugar confection. It reached English by 1500s as marzipan. Lübeck in Germany and Toledo in Spain are famous marzipan centres. Today, marzipan means a sweet confection made from ground almonds and sugar.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval mawthaban "disputed, possibly a box or coin term", possibly from a word for a seated king, later linked to a coin and its box.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval marzapane "an almond and sugar paste", settled in Italian for the almond-and-sugar confection.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s marzipan "a sweet almond paste confection", Lübeck in Germany and Toledo in Spain are famous marzipan centres.