a large cooking pot
soup cooked in such a pot
an individual covered casserole for serving soup
military a container used to bring food to troops in the field
1795–1805; < French, Middle French, apparently equivalent to mar ( m )-, base of marmotter to mutter, murmur ( see marmot) + mite expressive word for a cat; probably originally a jocular or nursery word, a deep, covered pot being thought of as secretive and hence catlike in comparison to an open pan; compare Old French marmite hypocritical
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Breakfast was porridge with bananas and peanut butter, while lunch was "usually a massive plate of rice with marmite with two eggs, or cheesy fried potatoes with eggs and veg".
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Stir in the butter and marmite, adding a little of the pasta water to loosen if need be.
From Salon • Sep. 26, 2023
“Boris Johnson was a marmite politician” said David Simmonds, a Conservative lawmaker in the neighboring area of Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, referring to a salty, yeasty paste that Britons tend to either love or hate.
From New York Times • Jul. 18, 2023
A number of popular items, including marmite and cream cheese, have faced scarcities amid supply chain disruptions wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and extreme weather.
From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2022
He says he does not want luxury and magnificence, has slept in a cot, and he has dismissed the King’s cooks, ‘renvers� la marmite.’
From The Greville Memoirs A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV, Vol. II by Reeve, Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
