raclette

Where does the word "raclette" come from? It comes from French racler, passing through Swiss French before entering English (1900s).

Raclette’s story begins in French: racler meant “to scrape.” The root of 'rake' in the sense of scraping. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Swiss French as raclette. Settled in Swiss French for the dish of melted cheese scraped over potatoes and vegetables. It reached English by 1900s as raclette. A Valais dish; the half-wheel of cheese is heated and scraped onto plates. Today, raclette means a Swiss dish made by melting cheese and scraping it over potatoes and other foods.

1. Stage 1 · French · medieval racler "to scrape", the root of 'rake' in the sense of scraping.
2. Stage 2 · Swiss French · 1800s raclette "a dish of melted cheese scraped over food", settled in Swiss French for the dish of melted cheese scraped over potatoes and vegetables.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s raclette "a Swiss dish of melted cheese served over potatoes and vegetables", a Valais dish; the half-wheel of cheese is heated and scraped onto plates.