salami

American  

[suh-lah-mee] / səˈlɑ mi /

noun

• salamis
  plural

1. a kind of sausage, originally Italian, often flavored with garlic.

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salami British  

/ səˈlɑːmɪ /

noun

1. a highly seasoned type of sausage, usually flavoured with garlic

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• salamis
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of salami

1850–55; < Italian, plural of salame < Vulgar Latin *salāmen, equivalent to *salā ( re ) to salt + Latin -men noun suffix; see sal

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Explanation

Salami is a type of cured sausage that's very common in sandwiches. This slightly spicy, salty meat is almost always served thinly sliced and is rarely heated or cooked. Salami is traditionally made from dried and fermented beef or pork, and seasoned with white pepper, garlic, salt, and herbs. It's a popular sandwich ingredient, as it's easy to slice and tastes great cold. The word salami is the plural form of the Italian salame, "spiced pork sausage," from the Latin root sal, or "salt."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salami salamis

Sometimes they make charcuterie boards with cheeses, nuts, salami and crackers as a dinner hack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

An arbitration panel ruled in his favor, and awarded him a whopping $4.25 million in a case that’s become known as “the salami incident.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

"I'm going to make pigs in blankets but wrap them in salami instead of bacon, and we'll add a couple of Yorkshire puddings," he said.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

For meat, a classic hard salami and a thinner meat like prosciutto should do.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2025

“Well, why would you do that when I went grocery shopping this morning? I’ll make salami sandwiches. Or there’s some leftover chicken spaghetti casserole, too.”

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

This trio showcases three of their standout dry-aged salamis, each one worthy of its own moment.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

Inventory management was a serious issue, our backpacks stuffed with first-aid kits, bread and salamis, just like in the game.

From The Verge ● Apr. 29, 2021

She’d stuff them with fancy mustard, salamis, aspirin and Parmesan cheese, all gifts for the locals.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 1, 2019

It is these that give salamis, bacons and cooked hams their alluring pink colour.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2018

“I have the passion of cooking, pickling, curing salamis, sausage, making wine in the fall. This is my life. I do this with my friends. It’s to my heart.”

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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