Cordon Bleu
/kɔʁ.dɔ̃ blø/noun
A French phrase meaning a blue ribbon, now used for culinary excellence and for dishes filled with ingredients such as ham and cheese.
Did you know?The phrase was associated with the Order of the Holy Spirit, whose members wore a distinctive blue sash, long before it became linked with elite cooking.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gherdh- / *gher-
“A root associated with twisting or enclosing, linked through later forms to cord and string.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
χορδή (khordē)
“Gut, string, or cord—especially an animal gut used as string.”
Latin
Latin
chorda
“String, cord, or rope, borrowed from Greek.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
corde; cordon
“Cord or rope; cordon developed as a diminutive meaning a small cord or ribbon.”
Old French / Frankish
French / Germanic
bleu
“Blue, from a Germanic source related to Proto-Germanic *blēwaz, later entering French as bleu.”
17th Century
French
cordon bleu
“Literally blue ribbon; associated with the blue sash of the prestigious Order of the Holy Spirit.”
19th–20th Century
Modern French / English
cordon bleu
“A mark of culinary distinction, later used for cooking schools and dishes such as chicken cordon bleu.”