saucer

Saucer comes from Middle English saucer, borrowed from Old French saussier (feminine saussiere), a dish meant for sauce.

The word started as a name for a sauce-holding dish, and over time it settled into meaning the small plate that sits beneath a cup.

It's tied to modern French saucier and saucière, words for a sauce-maker and a sauce-boat, both descended from the same Old French root.