The British spelling of the chemical process where sugar is heated until it browns and develops a deep, complex flavor.
From caramel + -isation (British suffix for nouns describing processes), derived from French caramel. The word reflects the standardization of terminology for this cooking technique.
The fact that different English-speaking countries spell this differently (caramelisation vs. caramelization) shows how British and American English diverged even in scientific terminology.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.