pate

Where does the word "pate" come from? It comes from Late Latin pasta, passing through French before entering English (1706).

Pate’s story begins in Late Latin: pasta meant “paste, dough.” Paste, dough, the shared root behind pasta and pate. By medieval, the word had taken hold in French as pate. Settled in French for a savory paste of ground meat or liver. It reached English by 1706 as pate. Pâté de foie gras from Strasbourg became famous in the 1700s. Today, pate means a rich, savory paste made from ground meat, fish, or vegetables.

1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient pasta "paste, dough", paste, dough, the shared root behind pasta and pate.
2. Stage 2 · French · medieval pate "a savory paste of ground meat or liver", settled in French for a savory paste of ground meat or liver.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1706 pate "a rich, savory paste of ground meat, fish, or vegetables", pâté de foie gras from Strasbourg became famous in the 1700s.