Where do ‘rock’ and ‘rocher’ come from? This post unpacks the etymology of a word we treat as solid — but whose linguistic trail is full of twists. With images, word cards and modern links to French patisserie.

Discover the history of the word ‘gâteau’, from medieval French ‘gastel’ — a high-quality bread — to the elaborate layered cake we know today. Explore its roots in Frankish and Latin, its links to Anglo-Norman ‘wastel’, and the shift from bread to dessert through changes in baking traditions and ingredients.

Discover the history of the word ‘gâteau’, from medieval French ‘gastel’ — a high-quality bread — to the elaborate layered cake we know today. Explore its roots in Frankish and Latin, its links to Anglo-Norman ‘wastel’, and the shift from bread to dessert through changes in baking traditions and ingredients.

Explore the word ‘biscuit’: from Latin ‘bis’ (twice) and ‘coquere’ (to cook), through Old French and into modern English. A word that’s travelled through languages, continents and baking traditions — now unpacked in our latest word card set, including spelling tips, morphology, and European translations.

A language dive into the roots of ‘boulangerie’ — with links to bread, bubbles, and French word endings.

I’ve always loved the smell of honeysuckle. The word goes back to Old English hunigsuge …

‘Épicerie’ is a word I’ve often seen in French towns. I’d always assumed it had something do with spices, but couldn’t quite figure out the link to ‘grocery’. Here’s the etymology …

My garden is full of elderflowers at the moment …

I’ve been looking into the roots of the French word épicerie, the name of many shops in French villages — and it turns out it started with spices.

When I checked the etymology of a little French bakery (tastes a bit like a profiterole without the chocolate or cream) item, I didn’t expect to find a link to cabbages!

These flowers smelled amazing - apparently it’s ‘Trachelospermum jasminoides’ (also known as ‘star jasmine’ or ‘false jasmine’)

I think I’m a bit late with this one. I did start it whilst the buttercups were blooming, but I think they’ve now all been frazzled by the sun!

I attended a fairly old fashioned primary school, so the May half-term break was known as the ‘Whit’ holidays …

The lane near our house is covered in primroses - such a delicate yellow.

Earlier this week, I was discussing Anglo-Norman loan words with one of my students, particularly some of foodstuffs that were adopted following the Norman invasion. ‘Beef’ is one of those words, and it turned out he was making Beef Wellington after the lesson … pastry will be on its way!

Photo: some beef I cooked a few years ago.

I’ve lost count of the times we’ve listened to the ‘Harry Potter’ series in the car, but despite living only 15 mins away from the studios in Leavesden, this is the first time we’ve taken the boys. An influx of Harry Potter related words will now fill my page for the next week or so …

I love the etymology of the French word for ‘snowdrop’.

I expected to find that ‘goblin’ came from a Germanic origin, but likely not!

It’s interesting that our ‘Shrove’ is so different to other European languages. The majority reference fasting - either with a form of that word, or with a link to ‘fat’.

How are pancakes and placentas related?