What does "Tiramisu" literally mean?

"Tiramisù" comes from three Italian words (1) a form of "tirare" (pull), (2) "mi" (me) and (3) "sù" (up). Put together they make "pull me up". By extension they mean "pick me up" or cheer me up. It is the name of a delicious Italian dessert, made from Savoiardi biscuits dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa.

It is claimed to have been invented in the 1960s at the restaurant "Le Beccherie" in Treviso, Northern Italy. The recipe has been adapted into many varieties of cakes and other desserts.

More Info: www.merriam-webster.com

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11 Comments

dick aspel

Wrong . It's not pull me up. It's pick me up or cheer me up.

earlepg

The explanation says that the literal translation is "pull me up" but by extention it's been changed to "pick me up" or "cheer me up". The question asks for the literal meaning, therefore it is correct as stated.

Chris Brown

Or “pick me up". The word Tiramisù literally means “pick me up”. It comes from the Treviso dialect, “Tireme su”, Italianised into Tiramisù in the latter half of the 20th century. Historical records state that Tiramisù originated in Treviso in 1800

fdeisner

Tiramisu is the name given to an Italian dessert containing specific ingredients and prepared in a specific way8 . To get the answer that Frank is looking for the question should have been something to the effect of "What is the English translation of the Italian word Tiramisu?"