colander
[kuhl-uh n-der, kol-]
- a metal or plastic container with a perforated bottom, for draining and straining foods.
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Also cullender.
Origin of colander
1400–50; late Middle English colyndore, perhaps (with nasalization) < Old Provençal colador < Medieval Latin cōlātōrium, equivalent to Latin cōlā(re) to strain (verbal derivative of cōlum strainer) + -tōrium -tory2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for colander
Contemporary Examples
Like the colander, in use since ancient times, it is an example of a kitchen technology that has stuck.
The table fork is far less time-honored than such objects as the colander, the waffle iron, the bain-marie.
Strain the marinade through a colander, reserving the liquid and reserving the bacon, vegetables, herbs, and spices separately.
Use the back of the spoon to press the eggplant flesh against the side of the colander to remove excess water.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid before draining the spaghetti in a colander.
Historical Examples
The cheese-vat should have holes in it all over like a colander.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;Charlotte Campbell Bury
Had I obeyed my own impulse, I should have been riddled like any colander.
RecollectionsDavid Christie Murray
Strain from it, through a hair sieve or colander, all the liquid.
No Animal FoodRupert H. Wheldon
Let it boil for five minutes, then drain them in a colander.
The Italian Cook BookMaria Gentile
Boil the inside part in about ½ a cup of water and put through the colander.
365 Luncheon DishesAnonymous
colander
cullender
- a pan with a perforated bottom for straining or rinsing foods
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Word Origin
C14 colyndore, probably from Old Provençal colador, via Medieval Latin, from Late Latin cōlāre to filter, from Latin cōlum sieve
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for colander
n.
mid-14c., coloundour, probably altered from Medieval Latin colatorium "strainer" (with parasitic -n-) from Latin colatus, past participle of colare "to strain," from colum "sieve, strainer, wicker fishing net," of uncertain origin. Cognate with French couloir, Spanish colador, Italian colatojo.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper