sesame
[ ses-uh-mee ]
/ ˈsɛs ə mi /
noun
a tropical, herbaceous plant, Sesamum indicum, whose small oval seeds are edible and yield an oil.
the seeds themselves, used to add flavor to bread, crackers, etc.
Also called
benne
(for defs 1, 2).
Origin of sesame
1400–50; < Greek
sēsámē sesame plant ≪ Akkadian
shamashshammū, derived from
shaman shammī plant oil; replacing
sesam, late Middle English
sysane < Latin
sēsamum < Greek
sḗsamon sesame seed
Words nearby sesame
servocontrol,
servomechanism,
servomotor,
servqual,
ses,
sesame,
sesame oil,
sesamoid,
sesh,
sesostris i,
sesotho
Example sentences from the Web for sesame
British Dictionary definitions for sesame
sesame
/ (ˈsɛsəmɪ) /
noun
a tropical herbaceous plant, Sesamum indicum, of the East Indies, cultivated, esp in India, for its small oval seeds: family Pedaliaceae
the seeds of this plant, used in flavouring bread and yielding an edible oil (benne oil or gingili)
Also called:
benne,
gingili,
til
Word Origin for sesame
C15: from Latin
sēsamum, from Greek
sēsamon, sēsamē, of Semitic origin; related to Arabic
simsim