English Eats French Meat From English Animals
Mutton is sheep meat. The animal has an English name and the meat a French one, and the Norman Conquest explains why.
Mutton is the meat of an adult sheep. The split between animal and meat names is a fossil of 1066: the English-speaking peasants who raised *sheep*, *cows*, *pigs* and *calves* used Germanic words, while the French-speaking nobility who ate *mutton*, *beef*, *pork* and *veal* used Norman ones. The distinction has lasted a thousand years.
- Sheep meat. *A leg of mutton.*
- Mutton dressed as lamb — someone dressing too young for their age. *Mutton dressed as lamb.*
- Lamb — meat from a young sheep. *Roast lamb.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mutton | Stewed mutton. |
| Animal | sheep | A flock of sheep. |
| Young meat | lamb | Spring lamb. |
| Related | hogget | Hogget, a year old. |
| French | mouton | French *mouton*. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Sheep is English, mutton is French.Animal and meat.
- Hogget comes between lamb and mutton.Around a year old.
- Mutton dressed as lamb.Dressing too youthfully.
Animal and meat pairs
- sheep / mutton
- cow / beef
- pig / pork
- calf / veal
- deer / venison
From Old French *moton*, a sheep, probably from a Gaulish word. Old English *sceap* gives *sheep*.
Why do animals and meats have different names?
Because after 1066 the English-speaking farmers used Germanic names for the animals and the French-speaking nobility used Norman names for the dishes.
What is hogget?
Meat from a sheep between about one and two years old, between lamb and mutton in age and flavour.