Make Your Editor Cry: Expresso vs. Espresso
“Espresso” is defined as “coffee brewed by forcing steam or hot water through finely ground darkly roasted coffee beans.” This particular strong coffee drink brewed into a tiny cup is pronounced with an “s” in the first syllable and written as “espresso.”
The origin of the word is Italian. The espresso in caffè espresso did not pertain to the “express” nature of brewing but the fact that the coffee was “pressed out,” espresso being cited as a past participle of esprimere, from Latin exprimere.
Expresso is US slang based on “expressing” the coffee, and until very recently was not actually a word. This is a small but important distinction.
The correct word is “espresso.”
Gregg Bridgeman is the Editor-in-Chief at Olivia Kimbrell Press. He is husband to best-selling Christian author Hallee Bridgeman and parent to three. He continues to proudly serve in the US Armed Forces and has done so in either an active or reserve capacity for more than twenty years as an airborne and air assault qualified paratrooper, earning a Bronze Star for his service. Most importantly, he was ordained in October of 2001 after surrendering his life to Christ decades earlier.