Spatule

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A culinary tool designed for flipping, spreading, or mixing food
2. a broad, flat utensil used in cooking and baking
3. an instrument that facilitates the movement or manipulation of ingredients in recipes

Etymology: The French "spatule" comes from Latin "spatula," a diminutive of "spatha," meaning a broad, flat blade. That Latin word was borrowed from Greek "spathē," which referred to a flat paddle or a broad blade, including a weaver's tool. The Roman "spatha" was a long, straight sword with a wide blade, so the kitchen implement and the cavalry sword share the same core idea of something flat and broad. English "spatula" was borrowed directly from Latin, so the Latin form survives almost unchanged in both English and French. Over time, the word was applied to flat tools of many kinds, including medical instruments such as the tongue depressor and the surgeon's flat probe, before it came to mean the kitchen utensil for lifting, spreading, and turning food.

Synonyms: spatula, scraper