Sesames

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The seeds of a flowering plant that are edible and commonly used to produce oil
2. A variety of small, flat, oval seeds that come from a plant, often used in cooking for seasoning or garnishing
3. A term referring to the bulbs or pods of the sesame plant, which are noted for their nutritional value and culinary applications

Etymology: The plural "sesames" simply counts individual seeds of the plant, and the singular "sesame" has a surprisingly long journey behind it. The plant's name goes back to Akkadian, the language of ancient Mesopotamia, where "šamaššammū" meant "oil plant," a compound of words for "oil" and "plant." The Assyrians prized the seeds for the oil pressed from them, and that sense of the name stayed attached to the plant as it travelled west. The Akkadian word passed into Aramaic, where it was shortened, and then into ancient Greek as "sēsamon." Latin took it as "sēsamum," and from there it reached English in the late Middle Ages as "sisamie." The spelling and pronunciation we use today seem to have been shaped partly by Greek "sisami," though the earlier forms still show the plant's Mesopotamian origin.

Synonyms: sesame seeds