Espresso

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɛˈspɹɛsəʊ/

Definitions

1. A rich and concentrated coffee drink prepared by forcing hot water through finely-ground coffee, known for its robust flavor and often enjoyed in small servings
2. A bold coffee beverage created by pressurized hot water passing through ground coffee, recognized for its intensity and served in smaller quantities
3. A highly concentrated coffee drink made by pushing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans, yielding a thick and intense flavor

Etymology: Before it named a shot of strong coffee, "espresso" meant "pressed out" in Italian, a description of how the drink was made. The phrase was "caffè espresso," from "esprimere," "to press out," which descends from Latin "exprimere," built from "ex-" ("out") and "primere" ("to press"). The idea was literal: hot water forced through ground coffee under pressure. The earliest machines did not use the modern name at all. On early Gaggia machines the drink was called "caffè crema" ("cream coffee"), after the golden foam on its surface, a term that has since fallen out of use. The word "espresso" then came to stand for the drink itself, and English borrowed it from Italian. Some people have proposed other sources, such as "express" in the sense of "fast" or "made directly for the customer," but these explanations are not widely accepted. The pressing sense is the one the word's history supports.

Synonyms: coffee, café, brew, java, caffeine