Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A caffe latte.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Same as cafe latte; a type of espresso coffee served with foamy steamed milk, and usually served in a tall glass or mug.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A pillar capped by a hemispherical stone capital with the flat side facing up, used as building supports by the ancient Chamorro people and now used as a sign of Chamorro identity.
  • noun A drink of coffee made from espresso and steamed milk, generally topped with foam.
  • noun A similar drink, where the espresso is replaced with some other flavoring ingredient such as chai, maté or matcha (green tea).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun strong espresso coffee with a topping of frothed steamed milk

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Abbreviation of caffè latte, from Italian caffè ("coffee") + latte ("milk"), from Latin lac, lactis.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word latte.

Examples

  • Butt ! u can still has a punkin spice latte N-E-wayz Here ya go *presents latte*

    Canz you pleez be more quiet? - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2009

  • DD is offering good old American lattes, never mind that the word latte comes from the Italian word for milk and in French it's not latte at all, but cafe au lait, and that the actual coffee itself probably comes from somewhere in South America or Africa.

    Time to Make the Donuts... and spread xenophobia Ellen Beth Gill 2006

  • DD is offering good old American lattes, never mind that the word latte comes from the Italian word for milk and in French it's not latte at all, but cafe au lait, and that the actual coffee itself probably comes from somewhere in South America or Africa.

    Archive 2006-12-01 Ellen Beth Gill 2006

  • A lot has changed since the financial wizard coined the term "latte factor" to show us how our money seeps away.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed KELLEY KEEHN 2011

  • A lot has changed since the financial wizard coined the term "latte factor" to show us how our money seeps away.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed KELLEY KEEHN 2011

  • I am happy that my matcha green tea latte is aiding in the creative process, however obliquely.

    Progress Report deliasherman 2010

  • A “no foam cappuccino may my soul rot in coffee hell” becomes a latte once someone can be taught that the difference — the sole difference — between a cappuccino and a latte is the ratio of espresso and milk to foam.

    On educating. « Love | Peace | Ohana 2006

  • So I try not to use the fact that I don’t actually need the Java the Hut job as a reason to be rude to customers who complain that their coffee is not hot enough or who say “I asked for a cappuccino and you gave me a latte,” huff, when I know for certain the word latte was uttered to me.

    Gingerbread Rachel Cohn 2002

  • So I try not to use the fact that I don’t actually need the Java the Hut job as a reason to be rude to customers who complain that their coffee is not hot enough or who say “I asked for a cappuccino and you gave me a latte,” huff, when I know for certain the word latte was uttered to me.

    Gingerbread Rachel Cohn 2002

  • I went back to my car, grabbed a blanket, purchased a mocha latte from the chocolate shop nearby and headed back to find a spot where I could rest my head and enjoy the music.

    gradins - French Word-A-Day 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • du

    January 29, 2007

  • In Italy, you would simply get a glass of milk.

    September 21, 2007

  • Latte comes from the same root as the Spanish word leche, which means milk (the root is "lacto-" from which we get the English words lactose and lactate). The cultural differences are interesting: in the Spanish-speaking world you order café con leche, or "coffee with milk." In Italy, the phrase is caffè con latte. Curious how Italy's influence on the world of food has brought the phrase into the English language, albeit in abridged form.

    September 21, 2007

  • I live in Silicon Valley, and am hence required by social contract to drink one of these every 90 minutes or so.

    Any bets on how soon the first baby named Frappuccino will be born? Howard Schultz, founder and chairman of Starbucks says “we’re still in the embryonic stage�? of business growth. (???)

    September 22, 2007

  • Dang, I'd hate to see how fast that sucker grows once it's been born...

    September 22, 2007

  • Yes, embryonic. There's still a corner in my town that doesn't have one...yet.

    September 22, 2007

  • Lartay. Most annoying word EVER.

    August 25, 2008

  • why is it annoying?

    August 25, 2008

  • Its pronunciation is impossible to perform without sounding pretentious, unless the pronouncer is genuinely Italian. It is a word that has entered general use in the UK only in recent years, when thitherto everyone was perfectly happy to just drink "coffee".

    I think Britons are the most likely to sound pretentious and annoying when saying this word, and only when pronouncing a long "ahhh" sound. Lahhhhhtay.

    Surely I am not the only one irritated by this one!

    August 26, 2008

  • I hear you, crunchy. I grew up with coffee, tea, and cocoa, so I too cringed somewhat as coffee splintered into a zillion forrin-soundin' permutations of latte, espresso, mocha, capp, etc., though I'm over the shock of it now.

    August 26, 2008

  • Here in New Zealand, latte culture is huge. And it's definitely "laaah-tay". I now refuse to drink latte or anything ending in -cino as a matter of principle, and just stick to the bog-standard flat white.

    July 22, 2009

  • As I grow curmudgeonlier, I fail more and more to see the problem with saying milky coffee.

    July 22, 2009

  • I could definitely go for a Latte right now. Too bad our campus espresso machine is out. :/

    September 28, 2011

  • Growing up drinking coffee, latte's are far more yummy then drinking the average coffee.

    September 28, 2011

  • A latte is what I had this morning and keeping me awake till now.

    September 28, 2011

  • Outliers

    September 28, 2011

  • go see malcolm!

    September 28, 2011