caramel

American  

[kar-uh-muhl, -mel, kahr-muhl] / ˈkær ə məl, -ˌmɛl, ˈkɑr məl /

noun

1. a liquid made by cooking sugar until it changes color, used for coloring and flavoring food.

2. a kind of chewy candy, commonly in small blocks, made from sugar, butter, milk, etc.

3. a yellowish brown or tan color.

---

caramel British  

/ ˈkærəməl, -ˌmɛl /

noun

1. burnt sugar, used for colouring and flavouring food

2. a chewy sweet made from sugar, butter, milk, etc

---

Usage

What is caramel? Caramel is a liquid made by heating sugar until it changes to a brownish color. Caramel is used for coloring or flavoring food.Caramel is often used as a flavoring or sauce for a variety of foods, especially desserts, such as caramel ice cream and caramel-coated popcorn.The word caramel can also refer to a chewy candy made from the heated sugar, milk, butter, and other ingredients. It’s often shaped into cubes and is sometimes covered in chocolate, which you might find in a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates.Finally, caramel can refer to a tan or yellowish-brown color that resembles the color of the sugary liquid, as in The cat had a caramel-colored tail.Example: My favorite candy is a chocolate bar filled with caramel.

Etymology

Origin of caramel

First recorded in 1715–25; from French, from Spanish or Portuguese caramelo, from Late Latin calamellus “little reed” (by dissimilation), equivalent to calam(us) reed ( calamus ) + -ellus diminutive suffix; meaning changed by association with Medieval Latin cannamella, canna mellis, etc., “sugarcane,” equivalent to Latin canna cane + mel “honey” (genitive mellis )

Compare meaning

How does caramel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• toffee vs. caramel

Example Sentences

I opted for the classics: onion soup, retro vol-au-vent overflowing with mushrooms and, for dessert, an île flottante heady with vanilla and caramel.

From The Wall Street Journal

I look around, but if the caramel leather box was here, Dad would have found it during his wild rampage.

From Literature

The cakes were the very best part, full of custard and drizzled with caramel and honey.

From Literature

Their visceral cream of pistachio, hazelnut, dark or white chocolate, lemon, raspberry, cinnamon apple, caramel, or speculous.

From Salon

“It’s similar to saying you know what’s in Coca-Cola—carbonated water, sugar, and caramel color—yet simply mixing those ingredients together doesn’t come close to recreating the finished product.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• carbohydrate