Tureens

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large, usually covered serving dish for soups or stews that is often made of ceramic or metal and used at the dining table
2. A deep, container designed primarily for holding and serving liquid dishes, typically equipped with a lid and a handle
3. A bowl-like vessel, often ornate, that serves the purpose of presenting and keeping food warm, especially soups and sauces during meals

Etymology: "Tureens" is the plural of "tureen," a deep serving dish with a lid and handles. The surprise lies in its pronunciation: the word was once "terrene," and its modern "tureen" sound comes from a spelling pronunciation, a case where people said the word the way it was written. The original "terrene" was borrowed from French "terrine," an earthenware dish or pot, which itself traces back to the Latin "terra," meaning earth. The container's first material was clay, and the name reflects that origin. Terrine and tureen are doublets, two forms of one word that entered English by different routes and took on different shapes. "Terrine" kept its French form and now usually names a pâté-style dish cooked in a mold, while "tureen" kept the English-adapted form that came to describe a large soup container. The word thus traveled from the ground itself into the kitchen, carrying its earthy origin with it.