aspic
aspic Lexical Profile
aspic Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A clear, savory jelly made from clarified meat, fish, or vegetable stock and natural gelatin, used to mold or encase cold foods and garnishes.
"The chef served a traditional vintage appetizer featuring poached shrimp suspended in a delicate tomato aspic."
A pale, fragrant essential oil distilled from spike lavender, traditionally used in perfumery and as a slow-drying solvent in classical oil painting.
"To achieve the fine, translucent glazes in his portrait, the painter thinned his pigments with a small amount of oil of aspic."
Word Origin & Etymology
The culinary sense comes from French 'aspic' (asp, venomous snake), likely derived from the phrase 'froid comme un aspic' (cold as an asp) comparing the cold, shivering jelly to a snake. The botanical sense (lavender oil) derives separately from Old French 'espic' (spike).