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.

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caramel British  

/ ˈkærəməl, -ˌmɛl /

noun

1. burnt sugar, used for colouring and flavouring food

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

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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

There are gifts that actually improve with a little time — spiced nuts, granola, brittle, caramel corn, spice blends, pickles.

From Salon

A stream of hot caramel runs through the Thomas Tunnock factory just outside Glasgow.

From BBC

Browned butter and brown sugar lend a molasses-tinged richness, while a drizzle of salted carrot caramel blurs the line between topping and filling, a glossy, amber ribbon that tastes like concentrated late-spring sun.

From Salon

So fill your pantry with fish sauce caramel corn, vegan chorizo Chex mix, cult-favorite bar nuts and a top-notch burnt olive ranch dip—and your shot glasses with perfect pairings for each.

From The Wall Street Journal

“If you’re really going into baking all the time with soy sauce, and you’re going to use it for your caramels and your frostings, then, yeah, invest in a good one.”

From Salon

Related Words

• carbohydrate