espresso

Meaning

Noun

• A concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee.
• A drink that includes espresso as an ingredient.

Origin

• Borrowed from Italian espresso, from caffè espresso, form of esprimere, from Latin exprimere, from ex- + primere.
• Some sources derive the term from “expressly (‘individually, directly’) made for the customer”, or as “fast” (Italian espresso also meaning “fast”, as in English express) but these are not widely credited. 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 was seen on early Gaggia machines, but this term is no longer used.