pasteurize

Where does the word "pasteurize" come from? It comes from Latin pastor, passing through French before entering English (1881).

Pasteurize’s story begins in Latin: pastor meant “shepherd.” 'shepherd', from pascere 'to feed'; Christian Latin also used it for a priest tending his flock. By 1864, the word had taken hold in French as Pasteur. A surname from Old French pastour 'shepherd'; Louis Pasteur showed in 1864, working on the wines of Arbois, that gentle heating stopped spoilage. It reached English by 1881 as pasteurize. Applied to milk from the 1880s; Chicago was the first US city to require milk pasteurisation, in 1908. Today, pasteurize means to heat food or drink to kill harmful microbes.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · classical pastor "shepherd", 'shepherd', from pascere 'to feed'; Christian Latin also used it for a priest tending his flock.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1864 Pasteur "a family name", a surname from Old French pastour 'shepherd'; Louis Pasteur showed in 1864, working on the wines of Arbois, that gentle heating stopped spoilage.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1881 pasteurize "to heat-sterilise", applied to milk from the 1880s; Chicago was the first US city to require milk pasteurisation, in 1908.