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Word for Wednesday: Mayonnaise


Our Word for Wednesday theme for August is condiments.

A condiment is added to food to enhance its flavour. The word has been used in English since the mid-fifteenth century and comes from the Latin ‘condire’ meaning ‘to pickle’.

So far we’ve looked at the words mustard and ketchup. Today’s word is mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise – also often called by its nickname mayo – is a thick creamy sauce made with egg yolks, oil, and either vinegar or lemon juice.

This French word (which dates to 1806) has been used in English since 1815. It is probably a corruption of ‘mahonnaise’ and likely got its name from Port Mahon the capital of Minorca which was captured by the French in 1756. The sauce was perhaps created in commemoration of the victory. The abbreviation to mayo dates to around 1930. 



17 Aug 2022
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Word, Mayonnaise, Wednesday, English, Sauce, French, Theme

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One of the students has put in a huge amount of effort in completing Spellzone at least 3 times a week since his arrival with us in January. Looking at his scores after the latest GL testing, his standardised score has risen from 99 to 131. This is a truly phenomenal result. I just wanted to share the best result I have ever seen.

Terrie Penrose-Toms, Casterton College

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