English
gelato
Gelato comes from Italian gelato ‘ice cream’, from Latin gelātus ‘frost’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gel- ‘cold’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gel-‘cold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelū‘frost, chill’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelō‘to freeze, congeal’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelātus‘frost’
- Italianc. 1300–presentgelato‘ice cream’
- Englishearliest quotation 2025same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gel-‘cold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelū‘frost, chill’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelō‘to freeze, congeal’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgelātus‘frost’
- Italianc. 1300–presentgelato‘ice cream’
- Englishearliest quotation 2025same form
Earliest quotation: 2025, Brock Colyar, It Must Be Nice to Be a West Village Girl: “Now the area has been remade in their image.…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gel- ‘cold’
children, child, cold, clean, cloud, globe, chill, cluster, colt, clout, clot, clough, glebe, ganglion, clod, globus, klutz, globulin, 49 more
through Latin gelū ‘frost, chill’
through Latin gelō ‘to freeze, congeal’
Today it means
noun An Italian variant of ice cream made from milk and sugar, combined with other flavourings. The ingredients are supercooled while stirring to break up ice crystals as they form.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gel- / gelato