trempé

Trempé is the past participle of the verb tremper, meaning to immerse or soak. As an adjective, trempé designates something that has been saturated with a liquid or thoroughly wetted. It can refer to objects, materials, or people, for example un vêtement trempé par la pluie, une serviette trempée, ou trempé de sueur.

In culinary contexts, trempé describes foods that have been dipped into liquids to soften, moisten, or flavor them. Common usages include pain trempé dans du lait, biscuits trempés dans le café, or fruits trempés dans du chocolat. The term highlights the action of immersion as part of preparation or consumption.

In metallurgy, trempé refers to a metal, especially steel, that has been hardened by quenching. After heating, the metal is rapidly cooled in water, oil, or another medium, increasing its hardness. This is usually followed by tempering (revenu) to adjust brittleness and relieve internal stresses.

Figurative and other uses extend trempé beyond literal wetness. It can describe a state of saturation or immersion in non-physical terms, such as being trempé de pluie, trempé de sueur, or arguably trempé d’encre, conveying intense or thorough involvement with a situation or substance.

See also trempe (the process) and acier trempé for related technical contexts.