Caramelise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To transform sugar into a rich, brown syrup by applying heat
2. To create a complex flavor and color by cooking sugar until it liquefies and turns brown
3. To apply heat to sugar causing it to melt and darken while developing flavor

Etymology: Caramelise is a verb built from "caramel" plus the suffix "-ise", and the suffix carries a longer history than the noun it attaches to. The ending traces back through Ancient Greek "-izein", which formed verbs meaning to make or treat something in a certain way, passed through Late Latin "-izare" and Middle French "-iser", and entered English as "-isen" before settling into the "-ize" and "-ise" forms we use now. So the word is a modern English formation whose grammar is Greek in origin. The noun "caramel" reached English from French, and it has a murkier past. Its exact origin is uncertain, and the various proposals are not settled, so the safest account is simply that the noun came into English from French and that the verb was formed from it in English. The result is a plain, transparent word: to caramelise is to heat sugar until it darkens and turns the brown, nutty flavour people associate with toffee and crème brûlée. Its meaning comes straight from the kitchen, with no figurative shift to report.

Synonyms: caramelize