While “cache” and “cachet” are two unique words, they do come from the same French root. They are hardly alone in this etymological phenomenon. There are many word pairs that share the same root, some of which are obvious when you think about it, like “flour” and “flower,” which both come from the French fleur; some of which are surprising, like “ticket” and “etiquette,” which both come from the same French origin as well.
But for “cache” vs. “cachet,” here’s what you need to know:
- “Cache,” pronounced the same as “cash” in English, might make you think of your computer’s temporary data storage, but it’s any hiding place of important provisions or sometimes even the provisions themselves. Thus, your computer can have cookies in its cache or you might have confectioners’ sugar dusted cookies in your own secret cache that your family members don’t know about.
- “Cachet,” which rhymes with “touché” or “sashay,” is synonymous with “prestige,” but it can also be a physical seal of approval among other definitions.
We could add “cash” into the conversation just to cover our bases—”cash,” of course, meaning “money,” and often “physical money” rather than credit cards or other digital means—but that’s not often as confused as “cache” vs. “cachet.”
“Cash” came into the English language in the late 1500s, originally from the French word caisse, meaning “money box.” The “box” piece of this definition simply fell away over time.
Both “cache” and “cache” come from the French word cacher, meaning “to hide.”
But their definitions aren’t hidden for you anymore, are they? Now about those cookies…
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