affogato

noun

af·fo·ga·to ˌä-fō-ˈgä-(ˌ)tō

: an Italian dessert of vanilla ice cream over which espresso has been poured

The affogato can be sipped slowly or eaten with a spoon and is a great way to enjoy dessert, coffee, and an after-dinner drink all in one.—

Philip Johnson, Bistro, 2004

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, literally "drowned" (in compounds such as gelato affogato and affogato di gelato, referring to ice cream covered in a liquid), past participle of affogare "to drown," going back to Vulgar Latin *affōcāre, alteration, by prefix substitution, of Latin offōcāre "to choke, throttle," from ob- ob- + -fōcāre, verbal derivative of faucēs "throat"

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of affogato was in 1992

See more words from the same year