argan oil

British

/ ˈɑːɡən /

noun

a yellow nutty-flavoured oil extracted from the ripe green olive-like fruits of the argan tree, Argania spinosa of SW Morocco, and used in cooking, medicines, and cosmetics

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of argan oil

C21: probably from Argana , a village northeast of Agadir, Morocco, where it is believed to have originated

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.

MARRAKECH, MOROCCOIn Jemaa el-Fnaa, the raucous main square in Marrakech, street merchants shout special prices for argan oil and wooden camel figurines.

From National Geographic • Nov. 9, 2023

With a Moroccan argan oil base, this formula contains essential oils to relax you before going in for the tweeze.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2022

Most argan oil is produced by local cooperatives of Amazigh-speaking Berber women around the cities of Agadir, Essaouira and Taroudant where the argan tree, which bears small green fruit resembling an olive, is common.

From Reuters • Jun. 15, 2021

In 2007, Josie Maran founded her namesake beauty line, which is focused on argan oil.

From New York Times • May 10, 2021

Southern Morocco would be lost indeed without argan oil, which is used for cooking purposes as a substitute for butter, and of which we had with us a large supply.

From In the Tail of the Peacock by Savory, Isabel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023