samosa
Americannoun
-
samosas,
plural
-
samosa
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of samosa
First recorded in 1930–35; from Hindi samosā, from Persian
Explanation
A samosa is a tasty Indian dish, a little pocket of fried dough filled with spiced potato and peas. The next time you eat at an Indian restaurant, try some samosas as an appetizer. While samosas are usually associated with India, there are actually few regions of the world that don't have some version of the savory pastry as part of their cuisine. Many of these samosa relatives, from Tajikistan's sambosa to Somalia's sambuus, share an etymological root, the Persian word sanbosag. The earliest known printed reference to the samosa appeared in 11th-century Persian writing. Today samosas are easy to find — just check out the menu at any Indian restaurant!
Vocabulary lists containing samosa
The Melting Pot: Food Words from Other Languages
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
World Cuisine - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The theatre itself has also changed little, its vintage charm intact with counters serving steaming cups of tea and deep-fried samosa snacks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2025
That said, in the spirit of celebrating Jewish food from around the world, he shared the Somali dish sambusa, a flaky deep-fried pastry something like a samosa, that can be filled with meat or vegetables.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2022
While you can make a sweet galette, for this recipe, I made a savory samosa.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
“Now I can treat myself with a samosa and get some rest.”
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2022
Once I was waved over to sit with my aunties while I ate a samosa.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
The samosas themselves are filled with paneer cheese and chunks of pumpkin that’s seasoned with garam masala, cumin, coriander, chile powder, and fennel seeds and encased in a flaky pastry.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2025
Inside the Jame Masjid, I’m met with tea, hot samosas and warm smiles.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2024
“We’ll have samosas, and we’ll also have hot dogs,” he said.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
Hundreds planned to dance to Bollywood songs, cheer South Asian drag kings and munch on biryani rice and samosas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
Keeping my eye on the temple to be sure I would not be lost, I went by two vendors before I found one with samosas that looked both clean and tasty.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
