caramel, n.
(ˈkærəmɛl)
[a. F. caramel, ad. Sp. (It., Pg.) caramelo, of uncertain origin.
Scheler suggests that the Sp. represents L. calamellus little tube, in reference to its tubular form; Mahn thinks it from med.L. cannamella sugar-cane: an Arabic source is conjectured by Littré.]
a. A black or brown porous substance obtained by heating sugar to about 210° C., by which it loses two equivalents of water; burnt sugar. It is used for colouring spirits, etc. b. A kind of ‘candy’ or sweet. c. attrib. as caramel-walnuts.
| 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Sugar, When it is boiled to Caramel, it breaks and cracks. c 1865 J. Wylde in Circ. Sc. I. 413/1 High-dried malt..contains a substance termed caramel. 1884 Philadelphia Times Sept., An article so generally a favorite with all classes as caramels. They are made of cream, sugar, vanilla, pistache, etc. |
d. The colour of caramel brown. Also attrib.
| 1909 Daily Mirror 4 Oct. 10/3 Caramel is the name for various new shades of brown. 1927 Daily Express 12 Mar. 3/5 Caramel, a useful light brown, suitable for all kinds of walking costumes. 1970 C. Drummond Stab in Back vi. 135 She was wearing the caramel suit she disappeared in. |
Hence ˈcaramel v. trans. and intr., ˈcaramelize v. [cf. F. caraméliser], trans. and intr., to turn into caramel.
| 1727 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Apple, Let it boil so long till the Sugar be red enough and caramel'd. 1842 Penny Cycl. XXIII. 230/1 By caramelizing the syrup. 1883 Knowledge 20 July 36/1 Partial carbonisation, or ‘caramelising’. 1887 Century Mag. Nov. 114/1 He seeks to keep the temperature down to 130°. If it is too high some of the sucrose will ‘invert’ or ‘caramel’ into glucose. 1897 Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 515 The sugar in the milk caramels in baking and browns the crust. |