condiment
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of condiment
1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin condīmentum spice, equivalent to condī ( re ) to season + -mentum -ment
Explanation
A condiment adds flavor to food. Ketchup and mustard are popular condiments. Most people use condiments when they eat. There are lots of salad dressings, and they're all condiments. If you put relish on a hot dog, that's a condiment too. Barbecue sauce and blue cheese are condiments as well. If it's an extra thing — especially a sauce like ranch dressing — and it makes food taste better, it's probably a condiment.
Vocabulary lists containing condiment
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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"My English" and "How I Learned English"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 6–August 12, 2022
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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.
But a shortage of the particular chilli pepper used to create the quintessential Caribbean condiment is threatening to stifle supply, while sending costs for the region's producers soaring.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Then, in March, it agreed to break off its condiment and cooking-product business and combine it with McCormick, the spice company.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Marmalade has long been a quintessential British condiment, with some recipes handed down between multiple generations.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Alongside heaping plates of spiced rice — filled with generous chunks of tender mutton and buttery marrow and slivers of fried golden onions — were bowls of a humble condiment.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
Wooden condiment baskets sat in a row on the counter.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions 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.
