Currant — From Anglo-French to English | etymologist.ai
currant
/ˈkʌɹ.ənt/·noun·14th century·Established
Origin
'Currant' is a corruption of 'Corinth' — small grapes exported from theGreekcity.
Definition
A small dried seedless grape used in cooking, or a small round berry of certain shrubs of the genus Ribes.
The Full Story
Anglo-French14th centurywell-attested
From Anglo-French 'raisins de Corauntz' (raisins of Corinth), referring to the small seedless grapes originally exported from the Greek city of Corinth in the Peloponnese. The cityname 'Corauntz' was gradually shortened and reanalyzed as the name of the fruit itself, yielding Middle English 'raisons of coraunce' and eventually just 'currant' by the mid-16th century. The Greek city name Kórinthos is of pre-Greek origin, possibly from a Pelasgian or otherMediterranean substrate language
Did you know?
German has a wonderful idiom 'Korinthenkacker' (Corinth-crapper) meaning a pedantic nitpicker — someone who picks over tiny dried grapes from Corinth one by one, the way a fusspot obsesses over petty details.
'Korinthe' preserves the Corinth connection more transparently for the dried grape, while using 'Johannisbeere' (St. John's berry) for the fresh fruit.' Key roots: Korinthos (Greek: "the city of Corinth").
groseille(French (currant berry — different word))Korinthe(German (dried currant, from Corinth))Johannisbeere(German (fresh currant))krent(Dutch (from Corinth))ribes(Italian / Latin (the berry genus))