sesame

See also: sésame

English

sesame seeds

Etymology

From Middle English sysame, sisamie, from Latin sīsamī, genitive singular of Latin sīsamum, sēsamum (compare Medieval Latin sīsaminum, Old French sisamin), from Ancient Greek σήσαμον (sḗsamon, “sesame seed”) and σησάμη (sēsámē, “sesame plant”), from Old Aramaic שושמא‎ (šūššmā), shortening of שומשומא‎ (šumššumā), from Akkadian 𒃻𒈦𒌑𒈬 (/šamaššammū/), 𒊭𒈦𒌑𒈨 (/šamaššammi/, literally “oil plant”), compound of 𒉌 (/šaman/, “oil”) and 𒌑 (/šammu/, “plant”). Spelling was modified early 15c. to reflect Ancient Greek σησάμη (sēsámē).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛzəmi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛsəmi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛsəmɪ
• Hyphenation: ses‧a‧me

Noun

sesame (countable and uncountable, plural sesames)

1. A tropical Asian plant (Sesamum indicum) bearing small flat seeds used as food and as a source of oil.

   Synonyms: beniseed, gingelly

2. The seed of this plant.

   Synonym: sesame seed

Derived terms

• open sesame
• sesame grass

Translations

plant

• Arabic: سِمْسِم‎ m (simsim)
• Armenian: շուշմա (hy) (šušma), քնջութ (hy) (kʿnǰutʿ)
• Bulgarian: сусам m (susam)
• Burmese: နှမ်း (my) (hnam:)
• Buryat: гүнжэд (günžed)
• Catalan: sèsam m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 芝麻 (zh) (zhīma), 胡麻 (zh) (húmá)

• Danish: sesam (da) c
• Daur: bal (black), cigaa bal (white)
• Dutch: sesam (nl) c
• Faroese: sesam n
• Finnish: seesami (fi)
• French: sésame (fr) m
• Galician: sésamo m
• Georgian: სეზამი (sezami), ქუნჯუტი (kunǯuṭi)
• German: Sesam (de) m
• Greek: σουσαμιά (el) f (sousamiá)

  Ancient: σησάμη f (sēsámē)

• Hebrew: סומסום‎ (he) (sumsum)
• Hindi: तिल (hi) m (til)
• Hungarian: szezám (hu)
• Italian: sesamo (it) m
• Japanese: 胡麻 (ja) (ごま, goma)
• Khmer: ល្ង (km) (lngɔɔ)
• Korean: 참깨 (ko) (chamkkae)

• Lao: ງາ (ngā)
• Macedonian: сусам m (susam)
• Malay: bijan, lenga
• Mongolian: гүнжид (mn) (günžid)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sesam m

  Nynorsk: sesam m

• Persian: کنجد‎ (fa) (konjed)
• Polish: sezam (pl) m
• Portuguese: sésamo m, gergelim (pt) m
• Punjabi: ਤਿਲ (pa) m (til)
• Romanian: susan (ro) m, sesam (ro) m
• Russian: сеза́м (ru) m (sezám), сим-си́м m (sim-sím), кунжу́т (ru) m (kunžút)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сусам m

  Roman: susam m

• Shan: ငႃး (ŋaa4)
• Spanish: sésamo (es) m
• Tagalog: linga
• Tajik: кунҷид (tg) (kunjid)
• Thai: งา (th) (ngaa)
• Turkish: susam (tr)
• Urdu: تل‎ m (til)
• Vietnamese: mè (vi), vừng (vi)
• Volapük: sesam

seed

• Arabic: سِمْسِم‎ m (simsim)
• Armenian: շուշմա (hy) (šušma), քնջութ (hy) (kʿnǰutʿ)
• Bulgarian: сусам m (susam)
• Catalan: sèsam m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 芝麻 (zi¹ maa⁴)

  Mandarin: 芝麻 (zh) (zhīmá)

• Dutch: sesam (nl) c, sesamzaad (nl) n
• Faroese: sesamfræ n
• Finnish: seesaminsiemen (fi)
• German: Sesam (de), Sesamsamen
• Greek: σουσάμι (el) n (sousámi)

  Ancient: σήσαμον n (sḗsamon)

• Hungarian: szezámmag
• Japanese: 胡麻 (ja) (ごま, goma)
• Khmer: ល្ង (km) (lngɔɔ)
• Korean: 참깨 (ko) (chamkkae)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: کونجی‎ (ku) (kuncî)

• Lao: ງາ (ngā)

• Macedonian: сусам m (susam)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sesam m, sesamfrø n

  Nynorsk: sesam m, sesamfrø n

• Persian: کنجد‎ (fa) (konjed)
• Polish: sezam (pl) m
• Portuguese: sésamo m, gergelim (pt) m
• Romanian: susan (ro) m, sesam (ro) m
• Russian: сеза́м (ru) m (sezám), сим-си́м m (sim-sím)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сусам m

  Roman: susam m

• Spanish: ajonjolí (es) m
• Sranan Tongo: abongra
• Tagalog: linga
• Tajik: кунҷид (tg) (kunjid)
• Telugu: నువ్వులు (te) (nuvvulu)
• Thai: งา (th) (ngaa)
• Turkish: susam (tr)
• Vietnamese: mè (vi), vừng (vi)
• Volapük: sesamasid, sesamasids

Anagrams

• Maeses, Meases, ameses, meases