Sesame

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsÉ›sÉ™mi/

Origin

1425; Middle English sisamie, from Middle French sisame, learned borrowing from Latin sīsamum, variant of sēsama, from Ancient Greek σήσαμον (sḗsamon, "sesame seed"), from Old Aramaic שושמא, shortening of שומשומא, from Akkadian (Assyrian) , , literally ‘oil plant’, compound of (šaman, "oil") and (šammu, "plant").

Full definition of sesame

Noun

1. A tropical Asian plant () bearing small flat seeds used as food and as a source of oil.
2. The seed of this plant.

Synonyms

• (plant) beniseed
• (seed) sesame seed

Derived terms

• open sesame
• sesame grass

Anagrams

• ameses