What does potage mean?
Potage is a somewhat formal or literary noun for soup, especially a thick, rustic soup made from vegetables, legumes, or other simple ingredients. In modern English it sounds old-fashioned, so a speaker may choose “soup” in casual conversation while retaining “potage” in historical writing, menus, or descriptions intended to evoke tradition and abundance. The word can suggest a hearty preparation rather than a clear or delicate broth, although its precise culinary meaning varies by context. Potage also preserves a trace of the vocabulary of medieval and early modern England, when pottage was an ordinary term for a cooked dish served from a pot. Today it is uncommon, but readers encounter it in older literature, historical recipes, and occasional culinary or antiquarian contexts. Its French ancestry and English history make it more than a decorative label: it connects a familiar meal with several centuries of culinary language.
nounA soup or stew, especially a thick soup made from vegetables or other simple ingredients.
- A soup or stew, especially a thick or rustic one.
"The inn served thick vegetable potage with crusty bread."
"A bowl of vegetable potage warmed us after the long walk."
"The medieval manuscript describes a potage of beans, herbs, and salted meat."
Potage is normally used as a mass noun, but the rare plural potages can be used when referring to individual servings or varieties.
"The menu featured several traditional vegetable potages."
Potage is soup with a French accent—and a medieval pedigree.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does potage come from?
Potage was borrowed into Middle English from Old French potage, a word based on pot, meaning “pot,” with the suffix -age. The English word dates from the medieval period, and pottage is a closely related Middle English form. Pot, potter, and pottery share the same ultimate Latin root, a vessel for holding food or drink.
Related word forms
How potage is actually used
The word is used in both British and American English but is much less common than soup. It has a literary, archaic, historical, or culinary tone.
Easily confused with potage
Pottage is the closely related older English form for a thick soup or stew, while potage is the French-derived spelling now used chiefly in literary, historical, or culinary contexts.