calamari

[ kal-uh-mahr-ee, kah-luh-; Italian kah-lah-mah-ree ]

noun

, Cooking.

1. squid ( ).

calamari

/ ˌkæləˈmɑːrɪ /

noun

1. squid cooked for eating, esp cut into rings and fried in batter

Word History and Origins

Origin of calamari¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from Italian, plural of calamaro, calamaio (short for pesce calamaio ), from Late Latin calamārium “inkhorn, pen case” (referring to the ink ejected by the squid), Latin calamārius “pertaining to a pen”; calamus, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of calamari¹

C20: from Italian, pl of calamaro squid, from Latin calamarium pen-case, referring to the squid's internal shell, from Greek kalamos reed

Example Sentences

Indeed, what looks like grains of rice is in fact minced calamari.

From Washington Post

The chef’s preferred ceviche is mine as well, the “mixto” bringing together raw corvina, tuna, shrimp, fried calamari and leche de tigre, the spicy, citrusy “tiger’s milk” that lightly cures the seafood and electrifies the salad.

From Washington Post

The single best starter is a plate of calamari, sprinkled with semolina and fried to a fine crunch.

From Washington Post

Half is not enough of the creamy risotto, to which a heaping spoon of lemon zest and olive oil is added just before it leaves the kitchen with a topper of wild calamari, zesty with espelette pepper.

From Washington Post

The nation that once revered him threatened to chop him up and fry him into calamari.

From The Daily Beast

"Yeah, it is ambitious," Sayles shrugs, picking at a calamari salad with his fingers.

From The Daily Beast

One of the most memorable dishes I have had there is Baby calamari filled with calamari ink, fresh chick peas and chorizo.

From The Daily Beast

It is a dish that I love but have never been able to recreate properly because we just cannot get calamari that small over here.

From The Daily Beast

This recipe calls for calamari on the grill, a method that brings out the sweet tenderness of the small cephalopods.

From The Daily Beast