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sesame

  (sĕs'ə-mē) pronunciation
sesame
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sesame
Sesamum indicum
(Elizabeth Morales)
n. In both senses also called benne, til.
  1. A tropical Asian plant (Sesamum indicum) bearing small flat seeds used as food and as a source of oil.
  2. The seed of this plant.

[Middle English sisamie, from Latin sēsamum, from Greek sēsamē, sēsamon, probably ultimately from Akkadian šamaššammū : šamnu, oil + šammu, plant.]


 
 

A tropical and subtropical plant, Sesamum indicum. Known as sim-sim in East Africa, benniseed in west Africa, gingelly and til in Asia. Seeds are small and, in most varieties, white; used whole in sweetmeats, in stews, and to decorate cakes and bread, and for extraction of the oil, which is used as a seasoning. The seeds contain 60% oil, of which 15% is saturated and 45% polyunsaturated. It has a strong nutty flavour and is used more as a seasoning than a cooking oil. See also tahini.

 

Erect, annual plant (Sesamum indicum) of numerous types and varieties in the family Pedaliaceae. It has been cultivated since antiquity for its seeds, which are used as food and flavouring and yield a prized oil. The hulled seeds, creamy or pearly white and tiny, have a mild, nutlike aroma and taste. The whole seed is used extensively in the cuisines of the Middle East and Asia. Sesame oil, noted for its stability and its resistance to becoming rancid, is used as a salad or cooking oil, in shortening and margarine, in the manufacture of soaps, pharmaceuticals, and lubricants, and as an ingredient in cosmetics.

For more information on sesame, visit Britannica.com.

 
(sĕs'əmē) , herb (Sesamum indicum or orientale) cultivated for its seeds since ancient times, found chiefly in the tropics of Africa and Asia. Sesame seeds, also called bennes or gingellies, are black or white and yield an oil that resists turning rancid. The oil (known also as teel oil) is used extensively in India for cooking, soap manufacture, food, and medicine and as an adulterant for olive oil. The seeds are also popularly added to cookies and other baked goods and are made into candy (e.g., benne cakes). Sesame was introduced by African slaves to the U.S. South, where it sometimes becomes a weed. The sesame was once credited with mystic powers. Sesame is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Serophulariales, family Pedaliaceae.


 
Translations: Translations for: Sesame

Dansk (Danish)
n. - sesam

Nederlands (Dutch)
sesamzaad

Français (French)
n. - sésame

Deutsch (German)
n. - Sesam

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σουσάμι, σουσαμιά

Italiano (Italian)
sesamo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sésamo (m) (Bot.), Abre-te sésamo lit.

Русский (Russian)
кунжут, сезам

Español (Spanish)
n. - sésamo, ajonjolí

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sesam

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
芝麻

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 芝麻

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 참깨

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ゴマ, ゴマの実

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألسمسم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שומשום, זרעי שומשום‬


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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