gravy: [14] To begin with, the word gravy signified a sort of spiced stock-based sauce served with white meat; it was not until the 16th century that its modern sense ‘meat juices’ or ‘sauce made from them’ emerged. Its origins are problematical. It is generally agreed that its v represents a misreading of an n in the Old French word, grané, from which it was borrowed (modern v was written u in medieval manuscripts, and was often very hard to distinguish from n); but what the source of grané was is not clear.
The favourite candidate is perhaps grain (source of English grain), as if ‘sauce flavoured with grains of spice’, but graine ‘meat’ has also been suggested. => grain
gravy (n.)
late 14c. (early 14c. in Anglo-French), from Old French grave, graue, apparently a misspelling of grané "sauce, stew," with -n- misread for -u- -- the character used for -v- in medial positions in words in medieval manuscripts. The French word probably originally meant "properly grained, seasoned," from Latin granum "grain, seed" (see grain (n.)). Meaning "money easily acquired" first attested 1910; gravy train (1909) originally was railroad slang for a short haul that paid well. Gravy-boat "small, deep dish for holding gravy or sauce" is from 1827.
例文
1. There was a smear of gravy on his chin.
彼のあごに肉汁がくっついている。
2.I always spatter my blouse with gravy when I eat.
食事中、私はいつもシャツに肉汁をこぼしていました。
3.Prepare the gravy mixture.
肉汁混合物を調合した。
4.You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.
あなたはテーブルクロスに肉汁をかけました。
5.We were disgusted when bosses awarded themselves a massive pay rise.How can they get on the gravy train，but ask us to take a wage freeze？