creme de menthe
1
7.2
- noun
- /krɛm də mɛnt/
:
crema de menta
- She enjoyed a refreshing cocktail made with creme de menthe and soda water.
Examples
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Creme de menthe.
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He says to the bartender... "Can I have a Creme de Menthe?"
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I saw some creme de menthe in the kitchen.
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Creme de menthe, this is.
Fiction book (1993) -
Creme de menthe.
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The dessert was topped with a drizzle of creme de menthe for added flavor.
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After dinner, they served a small glass of creme de menthe as a sweet digestif.
Synonyms
1
9.6
A sweet alcoholic drink flavored with mint
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines French 'crème' (cream) + 'de' (of) + 'menthe' (mint), so a learner who knows the constituents would likely infer something like 'mint cream' or a mint-flavoured creamy substance. However, in English the established meaning is a mint‑flavoured liqueur (an alcoholic drink), a categorical shift not directly predictable from the literal parts, so the relation is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Creme de menthe takes its name from French words creme meaning 'cream' and menthe meaning 'mint', which gives the picture of a smooth, sweet mint drink. That's why the name is used today to mean 'a sweet, mint-flavoured liqueur'.