Marmite

See also: marmite

English

A jar of the commercial yeast extract: Marmite; note the shape of the jar, which in itself suggests a marmite, and the picture of a marmite on the label.

Etymology

French marmite. From the French for a flesh-pot; the common-noun sense derives from an advertising campaign featuring the slogan "love it or hate it".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː(ɹ)maɪt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Proper noun

Marmite

1. (Commonwealth) A brand of sticky, dark brown, strongly flavoured spread based on a yeast extract (a by-product of beer brewing), eaten on toast, in sandwiches, in savoury dishes, etc.
   • 2020 April 9, Sam Jones, “Spanish writer spills beans on UK's saucy secrets”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Peyró has the grace to acknowledge that Marmite isn’t really a sauce before dismissing it as “filth”, and moving on to mint sauce.

Derived terms

• Marmitegate
• Marmitey

Noun

Marmite (countable and uncountable, plural Marmites)

1. (UK, informal) Something which people either love or hate.
   • 2000 May 30, Mike Page, “Re: Milk bar [WAS: Re: Great googly-moogly]”, in alt.usage.english‎^[2] (Usenet):

     A pink gin is prepared by swirling a few drops of bitters round the glass and throwing any excess away. It's the Marmite of the drinking world.

   • 2001 March 6, Mark Blunden, “Re:Another Recipe Request”, in alt.babylon5.uk‎^[3] (Usenet):

     Ah, anchovies - the marmite of the marine world. Personally, I love them, at least on pizzas.

   • 2008, Becky Thorn, “Pies”, in School Dinners: Recipes and Reminiscences of the Good, the Bad and the Spotted Dick‎^[4], Anova Books, →ISBN, page 24:

     I have a feeling that this pie is the Marmite of the school pie world. You either loved it or you hated it.

   • 2008, Tim Bartlett, Simon Collis, Tony Jones, “Design and Construction”, in Complete Powerboating Manual‎^[5], New Holland Publishers, →ISBN, page 164:

     Catamarans are the Marmite of powerboating – you either love them or you hate them.

   • 2009 April 16, “Bobby dazzler”, in The Northern Echo‎^[6]:

     A LOT of people could ask me that question. It’s a Marmite thing, you either love him or hate him,” admits Consett actor Chris Coxon who is one of the first people on the planet to attempt to become a real-life version of cult animated character Spongebob Squarepants^[sic]

   • 2022 June 2, Anna Peele, quoting Olivia Attwood, “Inside ‘Love Island,’ From the Tragic Suicide Deaths to New Mental Health Protocols”, in Vanity Fair‎^[7]:

     “I’ve always been quite a Marmite personality,” she says, comparing herself to the divisive umami toast spread.

Adjective

Marmite (comparative more Marmite, superlative most Marmite)

1. (UK, informal) Divisive
   • 2019 October 25, “What’s more Marmite than Marmite?”, in YouGov‎^[8]:

     But that 10% gap between fans and detractors leaves room for an interesting concept: is there something more Marmite than Marmite?

   • 2022 October 13, Susie Dent, Words from the Heart: An Emotional Dictionary, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

     'Hangry', fittingly, is very Marmite. For some it is newfangled and unpalatable, but for others it is an essential description of everyday life.

   • 2023 October 11, Will Noble, “Are These The 6 Most Marmite Things In London?”, in Londonist‎^[9]:

     London is perhaps the ultimate Marmite city. One second you're head over heels in love with it; the next you're searching 'Manchester' on Rightmove. But what are the most Marmite things IN London? These six things, we reckon.

Verb

Marmite (third-person singular simple present Marmites, present participle Marmiting, simple past and past participle Marmited)

1. (transitive) To apply Marmite to.
   • 2009 December 9, John Kelly, “Marmite is more easily digested in book form”, in Washington Post:

     My toast carefully Marmited, I took a bite and immediately felt as if I’d been hit in the face by an ocean wave, a wave befouled by oil from a sinking tanker, oil that had caused a die-off of marine birds and invertebrates, creatures whose decomposing bodies were adding to the general funkiness that had found its way inside my mouth.

Anagrams

• metiram