First Known Use: 1653
Dictionary
caramel
noun car·a·mel \ˈkär-məl; ˈker-ə-məl, ˈka-rə-, -ˌmel\
: a light brown candy made from butter, sugar, and milk or cream
: sugar that is cooked until it is burnt and that is used to give color and flavor to food
: a light brown color
Full Definition of CARAMEL
1
: an amorphous brittle brown and somewhat bitter substance obtained by heating sugar and used as a coloring and flavoring agent
2
: a firm chewy usually caramel-flavored candy
See caramel defined for English-language learners
See caramel defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT
Origin of CARAMEL
French, from Spanish caramelo, from Portuguese, icicle, caramel, from Late Latin calamellus small reed — more at shawm
Rhymes with CARAMEL
APL, Appenzell, aquarelle, asphodel, Azazel, bagatelle, barbicel, béchamel, brocatelle, Camberwell, caravel, carousel, cascabel, chanterelle, chaparral, Charles Martel, citadel, clientele, cockleshell, Cozumel, decibel, demoiselle, diving bell, fare-thee-well, fontanel, immortelle, Jezebel, killer cell, kiss-and-tell, lenticel, mangonel, muscatel, ne'er-do-well, Neuchâtel, Neufchâtel, New Rochelle, nonpareil, organelle, oversell, parallel, pedicel, pennoncel, personnel, petronel, Philomel, pimpernel, rebel yell, red blood cell, Sanctus bell, San Rafael, São Miguel, show-and-tell, sickle cell, silver bell, solar cell, tortoiseshell, undersell, villanelle, white blood cell, William Tell, zinfandel
CARAMEL Defined for Kids
caramel
noun car·a·mel \ˈkär-məl, ˈker-ə-məl\
Definition of CARAMEL for Kids
1
: a firm chewy candy
2
: burnt sugar used for coloring and flavoring
Medical Dictionary
caramel
noun car·a·mel \ˈkar-ə-məl, -ˌmel; ˈkär-məl\
Medical Definition of CARAMEL
: an amorphous brittle brown and somewhat bitter substance obtained by heating sugar and used as a coloring and flavoring agent
Learn More About CARAMEL
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: caramel brownPrevious Word in the Dictionary: carambole All Words Near: caramel
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up caramel? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).