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Origin and history of eclair

eclair(n.)

"a small, oblong pastry with sweet filling and glazed or iced," 1861, from French éclair, literally "lightning," from Old French esclair "light, daylight, flash of light," verbal noun from esclairare "to light up, illuminate, make shine" (12c.), formerly esclairer, ultimately from Latin exclarare "light up, illumine," from ex "out" (see ex-) + clarus "clear" (see clear (adj.)).

Nowadays the éclair au chocolat is the version of the dessert that is typically designated by the word eclair, but Pierre Blot's 1867 cookbook also lists coffee, tea, vanilla, flavor extract, strawberry, and currant varieties, as well as noting that any fruit jelly can be used. Modern versions are usually filled by injection, but early forms were often split and the filling spread between to make a sandwich-style cake. The earliest version of the éclair in French cookbooks (where it is attested by 1856) appears to be the coffee-flavored variety, made with choux pastry. The original shape seems to have been not oblong, but round.

The reason for the name is unclear. The common explanation that it's due to the gleam of the chocolate glaze doesn't match the oldest recipes. It may be from the technique of pumping the dough into shape with a cornet, which would look to the baker like a streak of lightning. It's also possible that the strip of cream visible between sandwiched layers was thought to resemble a streak of lightning. There is also a common jovial explanation that it's because the cake is "eaten in a flash" as famously used by The Chambers Dictionary in its definition of the eclair as "a cake, long in shape but short in duration."

also from 1861

Entries linking to eclair

clear(adj.)

c. 1300, cler, "giving light, shining, luminous;" also "not turbid; transparent, allowing light to pass through; free from impurities; morally pure, guiltless, innocent;" from Old French cler "clear" (of sight and hearing), "light, bright, shining; sparse" (12c., Modern French clair), from Latin clarus "clear, loud," of sounds; figuratively "manifest, plain, evident," in transferred use, of sights, "bright, distinct;" also "illustrious, famous, glorious" (source of Italian chiaro, Spanish claro), which is reconstructed to be from PIE *kle-ro-, from root *kele- (2) "to shout."

The reconstructed prehistoric sense evolution to light and color involves an identification of the spreading of sound and the spreading of light (compare English loud, used of colors; German hell "clear, bright, shining," of pitch, "distinct, ringing, high").

Also from c. 1300 in English "beautiful, magnificent, excellent;" of land, "cleared, leveled." of colors, "bright, pure;" of weather or the sky or sea, "not stormy; mild, fair, not overcast, fully light, free from darkness or clouds;" of the eyes or vision, "clear, keen;" of the voice or sound, "plainly audible, distinct, resonant."

Also of the mind, "keen-witted, perspicacious;" of words or speech, "readily understood, manifest to the mind, lucid" (an Old English word for this was sweotol "distinct, clear, evident"); of land, "cleared, leveled."

By c. 1300 in reference to complexions. Of possession or title, "unrestricted, unconditional, absolute," attested by early 15c.

The sense of "free from encumbrance," later largely nautical, developed c. 1500. The meaning "obvious to the senses" is from 1835.

Clear-sighted is from 1580s (clear-eyed is from 1520s); clear-headed is from 1709. For coast is clear see clear (v.).

ex-

word-forming element, in English meaning usually "out of, from," but also "upwards, completely, deprive of, without," and "former;" from Latin ex "out of, out from the interior of a thing" (in opposition to in), "from within; from which time, since; according to; in regard to." This is reconstructed to be from PIE *eghs "out" (source also of Gaulish ex-, Old Irish ess-, Old Church Slavonic izu, Russian iz). In some cases also from Greek cognate ex, ek.

Often reduced to e- before -b-, -d-, -g-, consonantal -i-, -l-, -m-, -n-, -v- (as in elude, emerge, evaporate, etc.).

The sense in Latin naturally tended toward "thoroughly, utterly," and in some English ex- words with no clear connection to the idea of "out of," the element might be purely intensive. Among them are exhort, exhilarate, evident, excruciate, exclaim, exuberant, exaggerate, expiate, expect.

For use of Latin ex- as "(rise) up out of," as preserved in English emerge, emend, the notion is "out from the interior of a thing," in opposition to in-. Hence also in Latin, "in an upward direction," as in effervesce, exult, extol.

PIE *eghs had comparative form *eks-tero and superlative *eks-t(e)r-emo-.

*kele-(2)

*kelə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shout." Perhaps imitative.

It might form all or part of: acclaim; acclamation; Aufklarung; calendar; chiaroscuro; claim; Claire; clairvoyance; clairvoyant; clamor; Clara; claret; clarify; clarinet; clarion; clarity; class; clear; cledonism; conciliate; conciliation; council; declaim; declare; disclaim; ecclesiastic; eclair; exclaim; glair; hale (v.); halyard; intercalate; haul; keelhaul; low (v.); nomenclature; paraclete; proclaim; reclaim; reconcile.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit usakala "cock," literally "dawn-calling;" Latin calare "to announce solemnly, call out," clamare "to cry out, shout, proclaim;" Middle Irish cailech "cock;" Greek kalein "to call," kelados "noise," kledon "report, fame;" Old High German halan "to call;" Old English hlowan "to low, make a noise like a cow;" Lithuanian kalba "language."