Gravy

How to spell gravy

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce gravy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does gravy mean?

1. nounA savoury sauce made from the juices that run from meat during cooking, usually thickened with flour.

Gravy in a sentence

• She poured warm gravy over the roast potatoes.

• The recipe explains how to thicken the gravy with a little flour.

Where does gravy come from?

Language of origin: French

Gravy entered English in the late 1300s from the Old French word that is usually written 'gravé', though scholars believe this was actually a scribal misreading of 'grané', the genuine French term for a spiced cooking sauce or stew. That 'grané' was built on the Latin 'granum', meaning 'grain' or 'seed', a hint that the original sauce may have been thickened or flavoured with ground grains and spices. The misread letter 'v' for 'n' stuck permanently, which is the curious reason the modern English spelling carries a 'v' that the source word never really had. Over the centuries the meaning narrowed to the familiar savoury sauce made from the juices that run from roasting meat. The same Latin 'granum' root survives in everyday relatives such as 'grain', 'granule', and 'granary', so the family resemblance is hidden behind that accidental 'v'.

How the word is built

• grav- (from Old French grané, a spiced sauce)
• -y (noun ending)