The term casserole was adopted in the early 1700s from French, where it denoted a “sauce pan.” The suffix –erole is an elongated form of the diminutive suffix –ole that was added in the sixteenth century to casse, which originally meant “pan,” and can be traced back to the Medieval Latin word cattia, signifying either “pan” or “vessel.” Due to the complexities of language, there may have also been influence from the Provençal term cassa, which also meant “pan” and likely derives from Latin capsa, meaning “box.” However, it is believed that cattia originated from a diminutive form of the Greek word kyathos, which referred to a particular type of wine vase resembling a ladle, equipped with a lengthy and curved handle. Despite various theories, the exact origins remain uncertain, though some suggest a possible connection to the Proto-Indo-European root kewh, meaning “to swell.” By the late 1880s, the term casserole began to encompass the dishes prepared within it, as seen in phrases like en casserole or à la casserole.
