On the origins of the word Marmite

From www.nakedtranslations.com [site appears to be dead]

We were looking at the menu of a very nice London restaurant on Saturday when one of my co-lunchers exclaimed:

"Monkfish tail "en marmite"??! Whaaaat? Fish in Marmite?"

Tut tut. Those Engleesh.

I reassured my friend: "Of course not. Marmite is French for "cooking pot". So I expect they serve it in a nice earthenware cooking pot."

Stunned silence.

"Marmite is a French word?" said Kate in an is-nothing-sacred-anymore quivering voice.
"Well… yes."
"Actually, the pot is shaped like a cauldron."
"Yes, but I wonder why they picked that word?"

So did I, so I looked it up. It turns out that marmite is a very interesting word indeed. It used to be an adjective that meant hypocrite and was formed of marm- (of marmotter, to mumble), a murmuring sound, and mite, the cat's name in le Roman de renart. This etymology is very odd, but it's the best explanation I could find. One may suppose that cats are often seen as hypocritical, purring one second and scratching you within an inch of your life the next. The marmite, deep and closed with a lid, hides its content, hence the hypocrisy link.

Why this word was chosen for the yeast extract product we all love or hate is a bit of a mystery. Anyone know?

More Marmite Love & Hate

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yumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyummyyummyyummyyummyyummyyummyyummymyummyyummyyummyyummyyummyyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumjustyumyumhadyumyumyumyummarmiteyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumonyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumtwoyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumslicesyumyumyumyumyumyumyumofyumyumyumyumyumyumyumyumtoastyumyumyumyumyummyyummyyum....AKA as very very verrrry NICE!!!! ossie bucks uk Yes Annie, quite right ! However if you happened to have inherited a small hand like me.... the lid is a devil to get hold of and twist.... So, how do you teach little kiddies to become self-sufficient in Vegemite-tis ... Marie In Marmite , in Paris, Fr great site....very hedumacationamal lol. i love the way its done. i also love marmite on biscuits!!!!...yes i know...im sick, but the doctor says the tablets are working now tho!! damien of marmiteville bradford uk for god's sake people, have you guys never heard of Vegemite? its so much better! how come he ozzies are better than us english ppl? annie i love marmite lots and it is very tasty, i think it is because it is black and yummy. i like it on toast and on sandwiches and other stuff. sometimes i tell mummy to buy another pot... just in case jevon everywhere