To heat sugar until it turns brown, or to coat something with caramel; can also mean to gradually change or develop into something richer.
From French caramel, derived from Spanish caramelo and Portuguese caramelo, from Arabic qandi (sugar) and possibly Portuguese canna (sugarcane). The verb form developed in the 18th century.
When sugar caramelizes, a magical chemistry happens—the molecules break apart and recombine into hundreds of new flavor compounds, creating a taste that's impossible to make any other way!
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