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

Staff have told me they want clear direction and an end to the salami slicing of resources.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 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

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

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2025

Vachon, who long taught a class on charcuterie — “we do pâtés, terrines,” he said — was particularly proud of the dry-aging refrigerators, where salami hung.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025

Or burps that smell like salami and wine and fill the whole RV with the smell of salami and wine.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

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

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

From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2018

A scrapbook on display at the deli shows photos of other famous visitors - including Robert DeNiro and Hillary Clinton - chowing down and posing with enormous hunks of cheese and whole salamis.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 12, 2016

“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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