sorbet

Where does the word "sorbet" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish şerbet, passing through Italian and French before entering English (1600s-1700s).

Sorbet’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: şerbet meant “a sweet chilled drink.” A chilled, sweet drink at the Ottoman court. By 1500s-1600s, the word had taken hold in Italian as sorbetto. Adapted into a frozen dessert by Italian confectioners. From there it passed into French as sorbet by 1600s. From Turkish 'şerbet', a cooled fruit drink. It reached English by 1600s-1700s as sorbet. The 1580s English sense was a cooling Eastern drink; after that passed to 'sherbet', English re-borrowed 'sorbet' in the 1800s for the frozen dessert. Today, sorbet means a frozen dessert made from sweetened fruit juice or puree.

1. Stage 1 · Ottoman Turkish · 1500s şerbet "a sweet chilled drink", a chilled, sweet drink at the Ottoman court.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1500s-1600s sorbetto "a frozen fruit dessert", adapted into a frozen dessert by Italian confectioners.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1600s sorbet "a frozen fruit dessert", from Turkish 'şerbet', a cooled fruit drink.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1600s-1700s sorbet "a frozen fruit-based dessert", the 1580s English sense was a cooling Eastern drink; after that passed to 'sherbet', English re-borrowed 'sorbet' in the 1800s for the frozen dessert.