espresso
/ɛˈspɹɛsoʊ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.39 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "It is no surprise that over the last decade the more moneyed elements of the coffee industry have been trying to figure out how to simplify espresso brewing to the point that a consumer can produce a properly rich, smooth-tasting espresso shot without struggling through a complicated process that can be as daunting as upgrading to Vista or assembling a glass-fronted display case from Ikea. […] To conclude, here in tabular form is a summary of our ratings of espressos produced from thirty pod, capsule and disc blends."
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian espresso, from caffè espresso (“pressed-out coffee”), form of esprimere (“to press out”), from Latin exprimere, from ex- (“out”) + primere (“to press”). Some sources derive the term from "expressly" ("individually, directly") made for the customer, or from the Italian espresso ("fast"), as in the English word express ("fast"), although these explanations are not widely accepted. The original term for modern espresso (coffee extracted under pressure) was cream coffee, from Italian caffè crema (variant: crema caffè), due to the crema, and appeared on early Gaggia machines, but this term is no longer used.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: exprimere
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɛˈspɹɛsoʊ/
- British English: /ɛˈspɹɛsəʊ/