custard
UK[ˈkʌs.təd]US[ˈkʌs.tɚd]
n
A sweet, soft, cooked mixture made from milk, eggs, and sugar, often flavored with vanilla and eaten as a dessert.
Etymology
The word 'custard' has a journey that reflects culinary history. It originates from the Anglo-Norman French word 'crustade', which referred to a pie with a crust. This, in turn, came from Old Provençal 'croustado', derived from Latin 'crustāre', meaning 'to encrust' or 'to cover with a crust'. Over time in English, the focus shifted from the containing pastry to the creamy egg-based filling itself, and the 'r' was lost, resulting in the modern form 'custard' for the dish, which may or may not have a crust.
Analysis
The word 'custard' is a simplex loanword. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes in its modern English spelling.
Examples
She topped the warm apple pie with a dollop of vanilla custard.
The dessert menu featured a classic baked custard with a caramelized sugar top.
For a quick treat, he made instant custard to pour over the sliced bananas.