Simmering
/ˈsɪm.ər.ɪŋ/noun
Cooking or heating gently just below the boil; also, lingering in a restrained, barely controlled state.
Did you know?English simmer is tied to older Germanic words for boiling and seething, so the word has always carried the energy of something active just beneath the surface.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sīmōną / *sēmjaną
“To simmer, boil gently, or seethe”
Old English
OE
simrian
“To simmer or boil gently”
Middle English
ME
simeren
“To cook or heat at a low boil”
16th Century
English
simmer
“To keep just below boiling; to remain in a slow, restrained state”
Modern English
English
simmering
“Gently boiling or heating; figuratively, lingering in a tense or restrained condition”