(kăpˌə-chēˈnō, käˌpə-)
noun pl. cap·puc·ci·nos Espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream.
Word History: The history of the word
cappuccino exemplifies how words can develop new senses because of resemblances that the original coiners of the terms might not have dreamed possible. The Capuchin order of friars, established after 1525, played an important role in bringing Catholicism back to Reformation Europe. Its Italian name came from the long pointed cowl, or
cappuccino, derived from
cappuccio, “hood,” that was worn as part of the order's habit. The French version of
cappuccino was
capuchin (now
capucin), from which came English
Capuchin. The name of this pious order was later used as the name (first recorded in English in 1785) for a type of monkey with a tuft of black cowl-like hair. In Italian
cappuccino went on to develop another sense, “espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream,” so called because the color of the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a Capuchin friar. The first use of
cappuccino in English is recorded in 1948.
