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Where does the word "saucer" come from? It comes from Latin salsa, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "saucer" come from? It comes from Latin salsa, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Saucer’s story begins in Latin: salsa meant “salted.” The root of 'sauce' and 'salsa'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as saussier. A small dish for sauces. It reached English by 1300s as saucer. The cup-plate sense dates from the 1700s; 'flying saucer' from 1947. Today, saucer means a small dish for a cup.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient salsa "salted", the root of 'sauce' and 'salsa'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval saussier "sauce dish", a small dish for sauces.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s saucer "sauce dish", the cup-plate sense dates from the 1700s; 'flying saucer' from 1947.