crema

See also: Crema, cremá, créma, cremà, and cremă

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹeɪmə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Italian crema. Doublet of cream, second-etymology crema, and crème.

Noun

crema (countable and uncountable, plural cremas)

1. The light-colored, orangish head of foam on a cup of espresso.

Translations

head of foam

• Bulgarian: пя́на (bg) f (pjána)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: crema (fi)
• French: crème (fr) f
• Polish: caffè crema n

Etymology 2

From Spanish crema. Doublet of cream, first-etymology crema, and crème.

Noun

crema (uncountable)

1. A Mexican foodstuff, the Mexican version of crème fraîche or sour cream. Its fat content is usually higher than that of sour cream, and it is thinner and less sour.

Translations

Mexican foodstuff

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: crema (fi), meksikolainen hapankerma
• French: crème fraîche (fr) f
• Polish: crema (pl) f

Anagrams

• Carme, McRae, crame, cream, macer, recam

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈkɾe̞.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [ˈkɾe.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈkɾe.ma]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French crème.

Noun

crema f (plural cremes)

1. crema catalana (a Catalan dessert)
2. pale yellow, the color of crema catalana
3. cream (fat part of milk)

   Synonym: nata

4. cream (skin product)
5. soup with cream
6. custard

Derived terms

• cremós
• descremar

Related terms

• crem

Etymology 2

Deverbal from cremar.

Noun

crema f (plural cremes)

1. burn, burning (act or result of burning, e.g. a controlled burn)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

crema

1. inflection of cremar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “crema”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkrɛ.ma/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛma
• Hyphenation: crè‧ma

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French crème.

Noun

crema f (plural creme)

1. cream
2. custard

Usage notes

• panna generally refers to physical cream, while crema refers to the flavor of cream. A pint of creamy gelato would be termed crema and not panna.

Derived terms

• crema solare
• cremino
• cremoso
• scremare

Descendants

• → English: crema
• → Greek: κρέμα (kréma)
• → Turkish: krema

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

crema

1. inflection of cremare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• carme, marce

Latin

Verb

cremā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of cremō

References

• "crema", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkɾẽ.mɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɾɛ.mɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɛmɐ
• Hyphenation: cre‧ma

Verb

crema

1. inflection of cremar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkrema]

Noun

crema f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of cremă

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɾema/ [ˈkɾe.ma]
• Rhymes: -ema
• Syllabification: cre‧ma

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama-der.

Proto-Celtic *krammender.

Gaulish *cramabor.?

Late Latin crāmum

Proto-Indo-European *gʰer-

Proto-Indo-European *gʰrey-der.

Ancient Greek χρίω (khríō)

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Hellenic *-mə

Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă)

Ancient Greek χρῖσμᾰ (khrîsmă)bor.

Ecclesiastical Latin chrisma

blend

Old French cresme

Middle French chresme

French crèmebor.

Spanish crema

Borrowed from French crème.

Noun

crema f (plural cremas)

1. cream (cosmetic product)
2. (Latin America) cream (dairy product)

   Synonym: (Spain) nata

3. soup with cream
4. custard
5. (Latin America, colloquial) mess, disorder

   Synonym: desorden

Derived terms

• crema agria
• crema al cacao
• crema batida
• crema catalana
• crema cortada
• crema de cacao
• crema de menta
• crema hidratante
• crema humectante
• crema pastelera
• cremoso
• la crema
• pastel de crema de Boston
• ponche crema

Descendants

• → English: crema
• → Tagalog: krema
• → Turkish: krema

Adjective

crema (invariable)

1. cream, creamy (cream-colored)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

crema

1. inflection of cremar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Etymology 3

Probably a malapropism of French tréma, from Ancient Greek τρῆμα (trêma, “perforation, orifice”).

Noun

crema f (plural cremas)

1. (rare) dieresis

   Synonym: diéresis

See also

Colors in Spanish · colores (layout · text)

blanco	gris	negro
rojo; carmín, carmesí	naranja, anaranjado; marrón	amarillo; crema
lima	verde	menta
cian, turquesa; azul-petróleo	celeste, cerúleo	azul
violeta; añil, índigo	magenta; morado, púrpura	rosa, rosado

Further reading

• “crema”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Anagrams

• merca