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Where does the word "omelet" come from? It comes from Latin lamella, passing through French before entering English (1610s).
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Where does the word "omelet" come from? It comes from Latin lamella, passing through French before entering English (1610s).
Omelet’s story begins in Latin: lamella meant “thin plate.” A diminutive of 'lamina', thin layer. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as amelette. A thin flat egg dish, altered from 'alumelle', blade. It reached English by 1610s as omelet. 'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs' is from French. Today, omelet means a dish of beaten eggs cooked flat.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient lamella "thin plate", a diminutive of 'lamina', thin layer.
- Stage 2 · French · 1500s amelette "omelette", a thin flat egg dish, altered from 'alumelle', blade.
- Stage 3 · English · 1610s omelet "egg dish", 'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs' is from French.