espresso
UK /ɛˈspɹɛsəʊ/ · US /ɛˈspɹɛsoʊ/ noun
Forms espressos espressi
- noun A concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee.
- noun A drink that includes espresso as an ingredient.
Synonyms
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.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “espresso”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details