bjones
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You are not alone in asking the etymology of the name Oreo. Recently, many people have wondered about the origin of the name of America’s favorite cookie. It’s too bad that no one questioned it sooner because it seems the knowledge has been lost in time. For almost 100 years, Oreos have delighted children and adults alike. What we do know about the Oreo cookie is that there is no one person responsible for their invention or their naming. Oreos were the invention of a team at the National Biscuit Company, now known as Nabisco, and they went through at least one change before being manufactured and marketed. It seems the name was also invented by a team, but no one knows for sure. Those people who were involved in the meeting where the name was conceived are either dead or they don’t remember. People may not have cared about the name and never asked, or no one felt it was information worth remembering. No recorded instances on the subject are known to humankind. Thus has been born one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
Most likely, Nabisco never planned for the cookie to be so successful. The first year they were introduced, 1912, they became the number one selling cookie in America and have held that spot every year since. The full name has gone through several changes also. It was originally the Oreo Biscuit. Then, in 1921, it was the Oreo Sandwich. After WWII, it became the Oreo Creme Sandwich until 1974, when it was deemed the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich. Today, the official name is only Oreo, although some claim it to be the Oreo Sandwich Cookie. As to the origin of the name Oreo, we are left only with theories:
1. It is derived from the Greek root orexin, for appetizing.
2. It comes from the French word or, meaning gold.
3. It is Greek, from oros, meaning hill. Apparently, an early concept Oreo was mound-shaped.
4. It is c”re”am in the center of two c”oo”kies – o-re-o.
5. The word is completely fabricated from smoothly flowing sounds.
 Posted 5166 day ago
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