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Origin and history of ramekin

ramekin

preparations served on toast in a type of pie dish, 1670s, from French ramequin (mid 17c.), which is said to be from Dutch rammeken "toasted bread," from ram, cognate to English ramrod, perhaps in reference to the density of the toast. In English, ramekin narrowed to mean specifically the cheese ramekin c. 1700. In reference to a type of small baking dish, by 1904.

also from 1670s

Entries linking to ramekin

ramrod(n.)

1757, "a rod used in ramming" (the charge of a gun or other firearm), from ram (v.) + rod (n.). Used figuratively for straightness or stiffness by 1939; also figurative of formality or primness (ramroddy, 1886). The verb in the figurative meaning "to force or drive as with a ramrod" is by 1948. Related: Ramrodded; ramrodding.

Welsh Rabbitn.

Welsh rabbit, in early use also Welch rabbit, "dish of toast and cheese," by 1724, also perverted by folk-etymology as Welsh rarebit (1785). The name is often said to be from a jibe that the Welsh are too poor to afford wild rabbit, but the existence of Scotch rabbit (1743) and English rabbit (1747) suggests otherwise.

Perhaps it is a corruption of ramekin, a similar dish, with the ending taken for mock-Welsh -kin suffix. A stereotype that the Welsh are inordinately fond of toasted cheese dates back at least to Shakespeare's time.

Ile sooner trust an Irishman with my
Aquauita bottle, Sir Hu our parson [the Welch knight] with my cheese,
A theefe to walk my ambling gelding, then my wife
With her selfe
[William Shakespeare, "A most pleasaunt and excellent conceited comedie, of Syr Iohn Falstaffe, and the merrie wiues of Windsor." 1602]
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    Trends of ramekin

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    dish
    Old English disc "plate, bowl, platter," from Latin discus "dish, platter, quoit," in Medieval Latin "a table, dais, desk, pulpit," from Greek diskos "disk, platter" (see disk (n.)). A common West Germanic borrowing; Old High German took the word as tisc "plate," but German Tisch
    harlequin
    1580s, Harlicken, one of the stock characters of Italian commedia dell'arte, from Italian Arlecchino or one of its variants (Arlechin, Arlechì, etc.) A 19th century theory proposes it to be from Old French Herlequin, Hellequin, etc., leader of la maisnie Hellequin (the household
    chagrin
    1650s, "melancholy," from French chagrin "melancholy, anxiety, vexation" (14c.), from Old North French chagreiner or Angevin dialect chagraigner "sadden," which is of unknown origin, perhaps [Gamillscheg] from Old French graignier "grieve over, be angry," from graigne "sadness, r
    pharmacy
    late 14c., farmacie, "a medicine that rids the body of an excess of humors (except blood);" also "treatment with medicine; theory of treatment with medicine," from Old French farmacie "a purgative" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Greek pharmakeia "a healin
    host
    "person who receives guests," especially for pay, late 13c., from Old French oste, hoste "guest, host, hostess, landlord" (12c., Modern French hôte), from Latin hospitem (nominative hospes) "guest, stranger, sojourner, visitor (hence also 'foreigner')," also "host; one bound by t
    concert
    1660s, "agreement of two or more in design or plan; accord, harmony," from French concert (16c.), from Italian concerto "concert, harmony," from concertare "bring into agreement," apparently from Latin concertare "to contend with zealously, contest, dispute, debate" from assimila
    microphone
    1680s, "ear trumpet for the hard-of-hearing," coined from Greek mikros "small" (see micro-) + phōnē "sound," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say." The notion is "instrument for augmenting small sounds." Modern sense of "transducer that converts sound into an electrical s
    Renaissance
    "great period of revival of classical-based art and learning in Europe that began in the fourteenth century," 1840, from French renaissance des lettres, from Old French renaissance, literally "rebirth," usually in a spiritual sense, from renastre "grow anew" (of plants), "be rebo
    Balaclava
    "woolen head covering," especially worn by soldiers, evidently named for village near Sebastopol, site of a battle Oct. 25, 1854, in the Crimean War. But the term (originally Balaclava helmet) does not appear before 1881 and seems to have come into widespread use in the Boer War.
    fact
    1530s, "action, a thing performed, anything done, a deed," good or evil but in 16c.-17c. commonly "evil deed, crime;" from Latin factum "an event, occurrence, deed, achievement," in Medieval Latin also "state, condition, circumstance" (source also of Old French fait, Spanish hech

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    Dictionary entries near ramekin
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