calamari

American

[kal-uh-mahr-ee, kah-luh-, kah-lah-mah-ree] / ˌkæl əˈmɑr i, ˌkɑ lə-, ˌkɑ lɑˈmɑ ri /

noun

Cooking.

squid.

calamari British

/ ˌkæləˈmɑːrɪ /

noun

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

"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 calamari

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”; see calamus, -ary

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:

calamari

They dined at The Custom House in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, on Monday evening, and racked up a £115 bill, which also featured eight Cokes, calamari and a two-course set menu.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

She said he wanted to pick out a coconut, eat sushi, calamari and King crab legs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2024

Chef and owner Elmer Komagata will add a street food menu at the new location, including gyoza dumplings, fried calamari and takoyaki.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2024

Wild shipworms are eaten in the Philippines -- either raw, or battered and fried like calamari.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2023

I see an exit sign at the end of the bathroom hallway and make a hard left, passing a waitress holding a tray of calamari.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

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