masala

English

Etymology

Hindustani मसाला (masālā) / مسالا (masālā, “spice(s)”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Persian مصالح (masâlih, “affairs, materials, spices”), plural of مصلحت (maslahat, “affair, policy, best thing to do”), both from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Arabic, derived from صَلَحَ (ṣalaḥa, “be fit, competent, usable”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑːlə

Noun

masala (plural masalas)

1. Any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg, fennel seeds, jeera etc.

Usage notes

• The term is often used in the names of individual dishes.

Derived terms

• garam masala
• tikka masala

Anagrams

• Salaam, Salama, salaam