WORD FOR THE DAY: EGERDOUCE

Your word for today is: egerdouce, n.

egerdouce, n.

[‘A sauce made with sweet and sour ingredients; a dish prepared with such a sauce.’]

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈɛɡəduːs/, /ɛɡəˈdus/,  U.S. /ˈɛɡərˌdus/, /ˌɛɡərˈdus/

Forms: α.   ME egarduse,   ME egerduse,   ME egge dows prob. transmission error,   ME egredouncye transmission error,   ME 18 egurdouce,   ME 18– egerdouce,   ME 18– egredouce.  β.   18–19 aigredouce. 

Etymology:Apparently < an unattested Anglo-Norman or Middle French noun *aigre-douce, use as noun of feminine of aigre-doux sweet and sour (see aigre-doux adj.). Compare later aigre-doux adj., agrodolce n.

French aigre-douce (noun) is attested later, but apparently only in the sense ‘Seville orange’:

1611  R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues, Aigre-douce, A ciuile [sc. Seville] Orange; or, Orange, that is betweene sweet and sower.

 hist. in later use.

  A sauce made with sweet and sour ingredients; a dish prepared with such a sauce.

1381 Diuersa Servicia in  C. B. Hieatt  & S. Butler Curye on Inglysch (1985) 74 For to make egerduse, tak lucys or tenchis & hak hem smal..nym vineger & þe þredde perty of sugur & myncyd onyons smal, & boyle al togedere, & cast þereyn clowys, macys & quibibz.

a1425 (1399) Forme of Cury 23 in  C. B. Hieatt  & S. Butler Curye on Inglysch (1985) 102 Egurdouce. Take connynges or kydde... Take rede wyne..sugur with powdour of peper, of gynger, of canel, salt [etc.].

c1450  in  T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 71 Browne in egurdouce.

 

1846  J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words I., Egredouce, a kind of dish or sauce, frequently mentioned in old cookery books.

1869 Macmillan's Mag. Aug. 321 Plenary court..Held King Leodegan that Whitsuntide. By noon the busy cooks had served in hall..Boars' heads in aigredouce.

1956 Language 32 771, I would call attention here to the many other recipes given in full, e.g...egredouce.

1984  R. Feild Irons in Fire ii. 19 Egerdouce was a favourite: a sweet-sour pottage in which goat meat, coney or sliced brawn was cooked in a sauce of young red wine or vinegar, honey or sugar, and dried fruits.

1999 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 30 Nov. 3 The exotic fare included: egerdouce, a sauce made with onions, currants, raisins and vinegar.

Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.