condiment

[kon-duh-muh nt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR condiment ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something used to give a special flavor to food, as mustard, ketchup, salt, or spices.

Origin of condiment

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin condīmentum spice, equivalent to condī(re) to season + -mentum -ment

Related formscon·di·men·tal, con·di·men·ta·ry, adjectivenon·con·di·ment, nounnon·con·di·men·tal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for condiment

Contemporary Examples of condiment

Best eaten with strong, spicy harissa as a condiment, to counter the fattiness of the meat.
The World’s Five Best Cheap Meals
Jodi Ettenberg
November 14, 2012
Not so much a dish but a condiment suited for almost any meal, salsa verde would have to be one of the tastiest condiments.
Fresh Picks
Chris Rendell
October 4, 2011

Historical Examples of condiment

Perhaps there was some speciality in the condiment in the salt-cellars.
The Innocence of Father Brown
G. K. Chesterton
Salt is the condiment to use with them, but sugar is allowable.
The Complete Bachelor
Walter Germain
It is said to have been in use by the ancients both as a condiment and a medicine.
A Garden with House Attached
Sarah Warner Brooks
Hot water is the chief ingredient, and pepper the condiment.
The Gastronomic Regenerator:
Alexis Soyer
It is not used to make an infusion; the leaf is prepared for use as a condiment.
A Civil Servant in Burma
Herbert Thirkel White

British Dictionary definitions for condiment

condiment

noun

any spice or sauce such as salt, pepper, mustard, etc

Word Origin for condiment

C15: from Latin condīmentum seasoning, from condīre to pickle

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

Word Origin and History for condiment

early 15c., from Old French condiment (13c.), from Latin condimentum "spice, seasoning, sauce," from condire "to preserve, pickle, season," variant of condere "to put away, store," from com- "together" (see com-) + -dere comb. form meaning "to put, place," from dare "to give" (see date (n.1)).