## Meanings
1. The thick, fatty part of milk that rises to the top.
2. A thick substance you put on your skin to soften or protect it.
3. The best people or things in a group.
4. A pale yellowish-white colour.

## Examples
- She poured cream over the fresh strawberries.
- Remember to put sun cream on before going to the beach.
- These students are the cream of the school.
- They painted the walls a soft cream.

## Synonyms
- creme
- ream

## Derived Forms
- buttercream
- cream-crackered
- cream-fruit
- cream-laid
- cream-skim
- creamable
- creambush
- creamcups
- creamer
- creamery
- creamish
- creamlaid

## Related Forms
- ramekin
- ream
- vichyssoise

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *gʰrey-
- Root: creime, creme
- Root: creme, cresme
- Root: chrisma
- Root: χρῖσμα
- Root: crāmum
- Root: *crama
- Root: *(s)krama-

## Etymology
From Middle English creime, creme, from Old French creme, cresme, blend of Late Latin chrisma (“ointment”) (from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “unguent”)), and Late Latin crāmum (“cream”), from Gaulish *crama (compare Welsh cramen (“scab, skin”), Breton crammen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama- (compare Middle Irish screm (“surface, skin”), Dutch schram (“abrasion”), Lithuanian kramas (“scurf”)). Doublet of crema and crème. Displaced native Old English rēam (“cream”) (> modern ream). Figurative sense of "most excellent element or part" appears from 1581. Verb meaning "to beat, thrash, wre…

## AI Etymology
cream comes from Middle English creime, creme, from Old French creme, cresme, blend of Late Latin chrisma (“ointment”) (from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα (khrîsma, “unguent”)), and Late Latin crāmum (“cream”), from Gaulish *crama (compare Welsh cramen (“scab, skin”), Breton crammen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krama- (compare Middle Irish screm (“surface, skin”), Dutch schram (“abrasion”), Lithuanian kramas (“scurf”)). Doublet of crema and crème. Displaced native Old English rēam (“cream”) (> modern ream). Figurative sense of "most excellent element or part" appears from 1581. Current senses include The thick, fatty part of milk that rises to the top and A thick substance you put on your skin to soften or protect it. English relatives and later formations include buttercream, cream-crackered, cream-fruit, ramekin, ream.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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