Added 9 October 2026
gravy
/ˈɡɹeɪvi/ noun
In Latin: cremor, iūs Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gravy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked. A dark savoury sauce prepared from stock and usually meat juices; brown gravy.
A roast dinner isn't complete without gravy.
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A dark savoury sauce prepared from stock and usually meat juices; brown gravy.
A roast dinner isn't complete without gravy.
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A pale sauce prepared from a roux with meat fat; a type of béchamel sauce.
There are few foods more Southern than biscuits and gravy.
verb
- To make gravy.
Origin
From Middle English gravey, greavie, gravy; probably from greaves, graves (“the sediment of melted tallow”), or from Old French grave, a claimed misspelling of grané (“stew, spice”), from grain (“spice”). Sense of "pasta sauce" apparently seems to be from Italian dialect, especially Calabrian, differentiating tomato puree (salsa (“sauce”)) from cooked tomato sauce (sugo).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)