In article >,
Richard Periut > wrote:

> Merriam-Webster can not be trusted?
>
> Well Sheldon beat me to it, but here goes Oxford:
>
> Oxford Dictionary
>
> espresso (also expresso )
> noun
>
> : strong black coffee made by forcing steam through ground coffee beans.
>
> ‹ORIGIN 1940s: from Italian (caffè) espresso, literally 'pressed out
> (coffee)'.
> ---
> Merriam-Webster
>
> ex·pres·so
>
> variant of espresso
> ---
>
>
> Or are they also not to be trusted? Can you name a reliable and accurate
> source for your conjectures?

Well, first off, the description is simply wrong. Espresso is not made
with steam; it's made with water at about 203 degrees F (see, David C.
Schomer, "Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques"). Boiling water does
not touch the ground coffee. A couple of years ago, I had a discussion
about this with one of the dictionary editors and he agreed that the
"steam" definition was wrong, and would be changed in the next edition.
I can't find the email exchange, though, so I can't pin down which
dictionary it was.

Also, Jesse Sheidlower, currently the North American Editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary, discussed this in response to a thread on
alt.coffee back in '94 or so. Here's his post (two sections about
whether certain letters are used in Italian are snipped; accent marks
are omitted, since not all newsreaders support them):

"I find this thread fascinating. I regret that it demonstrates an
unfamiliarity with dictionaries and how to use them, but no matter. I
believe that I am the only dictionary editor to participate in this
discussion, so let me waste a bit more bandwidth addressing some of the
points made so far, and introducing a few others:

o The OED, Second Edition, does include _espresso_ and _expresso_, the
latter being a variant of the former. It correctly derives it from
Italian _caffe espresso_. Whoever claimed it derives the term from a
would-be Italian _caffe expresso_ was in error.
o There are four major American dictionaries (published by Merriam
Webster, Webster's New World, Random House, and American Heritage). The
most recent edition of each gives _espresso_ as the main form, and
_expresso_ as a variant only. The fact that _expresso_ is listed in the
dictionary does not mean that it is equally common: the front matter for
each dictionary explains this. The person who claimed that three
dictionaries including OED give _expresso_ as "equally valid" was in
error.
o Dictionaries, in general, do not dictate usage: they reflect the usage
that exists in the language. If a dictionary says that _espresso_ is the
main spelling, it means that in the experience of its editors (based on
an examination of the language), _espresso_ is notably more common. It
does not mean that the editors have a vendetta against _expresso_.
o To the linguist who rejects the authority of dictionaries: I agree
that language is constantly changing; I'm sure that every dictionary
editor in the country does as well. Dictionaries are outdated before
they go to press. But I think they remain accurate to a large extent.
Also, if you are going to disagree with the conclusions of a dictionary,
you should be prepared to back yourself up. I can defend, with extensive
written evidence, our decision to give _espresso_ as the preferred form.
o The spelling _espresso_ is the form used by the copy desks of the _New
York Times,_ _Gourmet,_ _Bon Appetit,_ The _Wine Spectator,_ the _Wall
St. Journal,_The _L.A. Times,_ _Time,_ _Newsweek,_ and to my knowledge
every other major or minor newspaper or magazine, general or
food-related, in the English-speaking world. The fact that a handwritten
menu on an Italian restaurant door spells it "expresso" is trivial by
comparison.
o In sum: though both _espresso_ and _expresso_ are found, the former is
by far the more common. It is also to be favored on immediate
etymological evidence, since the Italian word from which it is directly
borrowed is spelled _espresso_. The form _espresso_ is clearly preferred
by all mainstream sources."

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