Etymology Map
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Toast

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means sliced bread browned by heat; a salute made by raising glasses

Where does the word "toast" come from? It comes from Latin tostus, passing through Old French before entering English (1700s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
tostus
Latin · ancient
"parched, roasted"
past participle of 'torrere', to parch, the root of 'torrid' and 'torrent'
2
Stage 2 of 3
toster
Old French · medieval
"to roast, grill"
a verb for grilling or browning over a fire
3
Stage 3 of 3
toast
English · 1700s
"browned bread; a drink in honour"
spiced toast was dropped into wine, so 'drinking a toast' to someone treated them as what flavoured the drink
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Read the full story

Toast’s story begins in Latin: tostus meant “parched, roasted.” Past participle of 'torrere', to parch, the root of 'torrid' and 'torrent'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as toster. A verb for grilling or browning over a fire. It reached English by 1700s as toast. Spiced toast was dropped into wine, so 'drinking a toast' to someone treated them as what flavoured the drink. Today, toast means sliced bread browned by heat; a salute made by raising glasses.