soul cake
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.35 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "All Souls' Day was celebrated by souling, a custom going back to pre-Reformation days: soul cakers and mummers toured the village begging for a soul cake — a plain, round, flat cake seasoned with spices."
- "You tell them to say "A soul cake, a soul cake, I pray thee, good mistress, a soul cake", which is the old North Country refrain."
- "Begging at the door for candy grew from an ancient English custom of knocking at doors to beg for a “soul cake” in return for which the beggars promised to pray for the dead of the household."
Etymology
Probably from Middle English sǒuel, souvel, suvel (“food eaten with bread; food in general”), from Old English sufel, sufol (“anything (especially relish) eaten with bread; sowl”), from Proto-Germanic *suflą (“entremets, viands”), from Proto-Indo-European *seu-, *sew- (“juice; moisture; rain”). + cake. The practice of begging for a soul cake is related to begging for condiments (sowl or soul) from wealthy neighbours, with a Christian re-interpretation.