Colander
/ˈkʌl.ən.dər/noun
A bowl-shaped kitchen utensil with holes for draining liquid from food.
Did you know?Colander ultimately comes from Latin colum, meaning “sieve” or “strainer,” a word tied to the ancient act of filtering and separating, which gave rise to a whole family of words about sifting and cleansing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to sieve, strain, or separate”
Latin
Latin
colum
“a sieve or strainer”
Late Latin
Latin
colāndrum
“a strainer or sieve”
Old French
Old French
colandre
“a sieve or colander”
Middle English
English
colander
“a strainer for draining food”
Modern English
English
colander
“a bowl-shaped perforated utensil for draining liquids”