Cream of Tartar
/ˌkriːm əv ˈtɑːrtər/noun
A white acidic powder, potassium bitartrate, that forms as a crystalline deposit during wine production and is used in cooking and baking.
Did you know?Cream of tartar is not dairy cream: it is the purified sediment left inside wine casks, historically known as tartar because of its association with the name Tartarus.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khrîsma
“An ointment or substance used for anointing; the ancestral source proposed for “cream.””
Ancient Greek
Greek
Tártaros
“The deep underworld or prison of the gods in Greek mythology; the source of “tartar” in the compound.”
Late Antiquity
Late Latin
crama
“Cream or a fatty substance; derived through the history of Greek anointing terminology.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
tartarum
“A deposit formed in wine vessels; later also associated with deposits on teeth.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
cresme / tartre
“Cream; and tartar, the hard deposit found in wine vessels or on teeth.”
Modern English
English
cream of tartar
“Potassium bitartrate, the purified crystalline residue of winemaking used in food preparation.”