bain-marie

< /ˈbeɪn məˈri; French bɛ̃ maˈri/.

1. (in cooking) a receptacle containing hot or boiling water into which other containers are placed to warm or cook the food in them.
2. British. a double boiler.

noun plural bains-marie (bɛ̃mari)

1. a vessel for holding hot water, in which sauces and other dishes are gently cooked or kept warm

n.

1822, from French bain-marie, from Medieval Latin balneum Mariae, literally “bath of Mary.” According to French sources, perhaps so called for the gentleness of its heating. Middle English had balne of mary (late 15c.).