Mousse
/muːs/noun
A light, airy dessert or a soft foamy preparation used in cooking or cosmetics.
Did you know?French mousse originally meant “foam,” and the same word was used for sea foam before it became the name of a whipped dessert that traps air like magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meus-
“to be moist, slimy, or soft”
Late Latin
Latin
mūsa
“moss or soft growth”
Old French
Old French
mousse
“foam, froth; also moss”
18th Century
French
mousse
“foam; later a light foamy dish or preparation”
Modern English
English
mousse
“a light, airy dessert or cosmetic preparation”