Etymology Map
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Omelet

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a dish of beaten eggs cooked flat

Where does the word "omelet" come from? It comes from Latin lamella, passing through French before entering English (1610s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
lamella
Latin · ancient
"thin plate"
a diminutive of 'lamina', thin layer
2
Stage 2 of 3
amelette
French · 1500s
"omelette"
a thin flat egg dish, altered from 'alumelle', blade
3
Stage 3 of 3
omelet
English · 1610s
"egg dish"
'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs' is from French
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Read the full story

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.