The baker is a term of Picardic origin, which appeared in the form of bolengarius and bolengerius (in medieval Latin), boulenc in old Picard, to take its current French form around 1299. He is the one who makes the round loaves. The use of this word has progressively eliminated in the French language those of talmelier, de weigher (pistor, one who kneads) and panetier (found in Italian, panettiere, and in Spanish, panadero).

The action of making and then the place of making became boulenguerie, attested in 1314, boulengerie in 1611 and boulangerie in 1680